Reading between the lines

(lead story in the February issue of Responsible Parenting)

The general verdict about today’s youngsters is that they are an ill-read lot. Most have atrocious language skills and would much rather spend their free time blasting monsters or doing obstacle races on their tablets or computers, or even watching inane shows on television, rather than reading a book.

And yet, despite the widespread perception that reading habits are on the decline in the younger generation, bookstores continue to sell books,  as more and more new books continue to be written. Even more importantly, with children’s and young adult literature being universally identified as the most promising market segment, the number of publishers in this area is rising exponentially.

Why, then, is there such a clamour about declining reading habits? More importantly, what is the significance of reading in a child’s life, and what can parents, educators and the community do to foster good reading habits?

Readers versus non-readers

Two mothers with opposite complaints at my writing skills workshop. The first is Smita Mathur, who is in despair because her twelve year-old daughter Rhea refuses to read anything apart from the compulsory textbooks .

“I have shelves and shelves full of books for her at home, but she won’t touch them! All my old favourites, plus any new ones that I can find. It really breaks my heart. All she and her friends ever want to do is stick their noses in their tablets or the laptop, or else watch useless shows on TV. She is good at her studies, but how will she ever become a sensible, thinking person without the reading habit?”

At the other end of the spectrum is Rashmi Chawla whose eleven year old son Taran is so addicted to books that she worries about his all-round personality development.

“I’m very happy with the fact that he reads,” she explains, “but he hardly ever does anything else! No games, no social activity. He seems to exist in his imaginary world of fictional characters.”

It is, at best, difficult to make a generalized statement about the reading tendencies of the entire younger generation. In the opinions of a cross-section of parents, educators, authors and publishers, however, apart from personal preferences, the reading habits of youngsters can be attributed to factors such as the home environment, school culture, peer groups, etc.

Why readers read

Aditya Ghosh, a fourteen year old from a family of corporate professionals and a student of one of the capital’s prestigious schools is an avid reader. Having grown up with books all around him, and having been read to as a child, books hold a prominent place in his life. On the other hand, eleven year old Ashu Pahwa’s interest in books was sparked by the culture of reading prevalent at his school. However, the school’s culture has not succeeded in converting every student into a reader.

Yet another case is that of twelve year old Pranati Rastogi. She may not have grown up surrounded by books in her average Delhi business family, in which not everyone made it to college, but she has a passion for books, as is evident from her room, overflowing with them. “I just love stories,” she says. “I used to watch movies and cartoons earlier, but after my friends introduced me to Harry Potter, I realized that movies don’t even come close to what the books give you. Now I would much rather read books than do anything else.”

Going on to children who, in their own words, are ‘allergic to books’, one common comment from them is that they have simply not come across a book that could catch their attention and hold it. This could be due to the fact that for minds addicted to being spoon-fed on flashing audio-visual signals, printed pages hold little attraction. It could also be due to the fact that the average attention span of today’s child is much shorter than it used to be in their parents’ generation.

What children want

Today children have a wide range of options in terms of entertainment. This means that for a book to hold their interest, it has to be superior to all the alternatives, namely the electronic media.

Paresh Nath, proprietor of the highly successful Delhi Press, which has a number of popular children’s magazines in its quiver, says that book sales are up simply because of increasing population. “The proportion of children reading general books—that is, anything except their compulsory course books—has definitely declined a lot.” He feels, however, that the blame lies with the confused environment in which children are growing. “Today everyone is obsessed with teaching their children English from a very early age. Both parents and schools frown upon children who speak their mother tongue. So, naturally, they are not given books in local languages to read, and they find it difficult to grapple with English, unless it is part of their home culture. So, it is only children from such homes who are reading. The rest are confused and turn to television where they can watch cartoons and international level programs dubbed in their own language.”

However, Dr. Archna Tyagi of Booklings, a Delhi-based organization that works with schools to infuse enthusiasm about reading books in growing children feels that children can be guided towards books.

“Every child whom we meet loves the colourful pictures of the stories we show and wants to read them. They are amazed with the wide variety of information available in books and want to know them all, However they lack the concentration level for reading. This is basically because they never got a devoted time of reading since a very young age, say, as toddlers, where as a parent or grandparent you introduce them to read. They lack real life examples where reading is an essential part of life and each member of the family does the same.”

“Reading has to be introduced as a daily routine where it is as important as brushing teeth,” she adds. “They need to discuss the things they have read, appreciated for the effort they have put in, exposed to the variety of books so they can choose books for themselves, however what we find is that parents are eager to provide them all material support but are clueless in providing the correct guidance. It is very natural if you take a child to a toy store he/she will be after your life to get the one they need, same is the case for reading, if you show them books or take them to a book store they will ask for the same. It is our responsibility what we want to show to them.”

Lubaina Bandukwala, a talent scout for Scholastic India agrees. “It is not that children don’t want to read. All children love stories. But they have so many other distractions today. It depends on how their parents and teachers guide them.”

Scholastic India MD Tina Narang adds, “The publishing industry is in a significantly vibrant stage with a growing number of new authors and a range of books to choose from. And standard ways of promoting a book are now being replaced by social media platforms which makes it easier for a good book to go viral and for more people to hear about it. Today’s reality is also the advent of different reading mediums. Youngsters no longer only read books as books, they also read books on different devices.”

 

Why children need to read

It is a well known fact that there are enormous mental, emotional and psychological benefits to be derived by children who form the habit of reading regularly at a young age. Says Dr. Archna Tyagi: “Good reading habits have salutary effects on the upbringing and personality development of an individual. Books open the doors of culture, knowledge, values and individuality to the reader. It enhances the capability to understand different and even complex subjects and develop opinions”.

Brain workout and increased concentration: Children who read often and widely get to exercise their brains on a regular basis. Reading is a much more complex task than, say, watching TV, as it strengthens brain connections and actually builds new connections. Further, children who read books have to sit still and quietly so they can focus on the story. If they read regularly as they grow up, they develop the ability to do this for longer and longer periods, which improves their ability to concentrate and helps them in their studies as well.

Relaxation and peace: Reading relaxes the body and calms the mind. This is an important point because these days we seem to have forgotten how to relax and especially how to be silent. The constant movement, flashing lights and noise which bombard our senses when we’re watching TV, looking at a computer or playing an electronic game are actually quite stressful for our brains. When we read, we read in silence and the black print on a white page is much less stressful for our eyes and brains.

Knowledge and insights: The kind of knowledge and insights about the world that comes from reading cannot be absorbed through the television or internet. When you are spoonfed audio-visual signals, the mind watches, but does not absorb very much. On the other hand, when the information is gained by reading a book, the mind processes it and produces its own images and connections which result in greater retention of knowledge and insights about a wide variety of topics. The children thus get greater exposure to ways of life, ideas and beliefs about the world which may be different from those which surround them and gives them vision and confidence in life.

Language and communication skills: Reading improves a child’s vocabulary, leads to more highly-developed language skills and improves the child’s ability to write well. This is because children learn new words as they read but also because they unconsciously absorb information as they read about things like how to structure sentences and how to use words and language effectively.

Imagination and empathy: When a child reads, her brain translates descriptions into pictures and forges connections with her own life and experiences. It also leads to emotional maturity and increased emotional intelligence. This stands them in good stead when dealing with problems and situations in later life.

Inculcating good reading habits

It is thus important to realize the crucial role of good reading habits in a child’s life. A few simple measures can facilitate children who like reading to find endless books, and encourage those who don’t read to explore the world of books and reap its benefits.

At home: The first thing is presence of adequate and appropriate reading material around the house. Explore your children’s preferences and look in the market for reading material to fit their tastes—be it comics, graphic novels, adventure, mystery, horror, or any other genre. Take out some time, at least over the weekends, to read books with them to sustain their interest, and discuss what they have read.

At school: Schools need to create a strong reading culture for their students. Some of the good schools in Delhi do, in fact, have systems of bonus reading points and regular reading activities. A number of schools also have class libraries in addition to the normal school library. In the class libraries children contribute interesting books from their private collections, which can then be read by anyone in class during free periods or even borrowed. A number of schools also have regular events like ‘Book Week’ and regular book fairs on parent-teacher meeting days. These measures go a long way towards encouraging students to read regularly.

In the community:  Since current Indian society does not really have a ‘library culture’ of any kind, children who like to read are often limited in terms of availability of reading material. Joint efforts towards ‘community libraries’ and ‘neighbourhood reading clubs’ could be a possible, effective solution for this constraint. At present these exist sporadically, in a few residential societies and colonies, and the response to these efforts has been discouraging so far. There needs to be greater awareness about the importance of reading and greater community efforts to provide our youngsters with safe, curated reading spaces where they can have access to vast numbers of books.

Tagged: books, educators, entertainment, expression, knowledge, parents, publishers, reding