Child reading research

Research on children’s reading development

Reading, arguably, is an activity in which many children partake in and may even have a big influence on their actual development.  The school environment is one that places particular emphasis on reading, with a lot of Literacy content being on actual reading. However, the way in which Children read and learn how to read, is what makes the topic so consuming. Perhaps the conventions of a children’s book is what makes it so appealing to them; adventurous story line, vibrant illustrations etc.. We often see parents reading to their children in many instances, which could be to ensure that they are actually reading something or to encourage them to sleep. For early infants (0-4 years), ‘Book Trust’ claimed that ‘The Snowman’ and ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ are books that are most popular within this age group. Here we have two popular books regarding dissimilar subjects, however they both share similar conventions. Obviously, the characters within the book are perhaps the most foremost aspect and they play the most pivotal role in engaging the children. The the company also claimed that ‘A Bear Called Paddington’ and ‘The BFG’ were the most popular books amongst infants, particularly the ages 5-8. Again, these books also have a storyline which is almost tailored around the main character, which is even represented in the title. Now, because these stories almost always show a positive change in character by showing the children morals and the ‘rights and wrongs’, children almost want to replicate this behavior due to their liking of the character. For instance, the ‘Very Hungry Caterpillar’ is a book which exhibits how people should aspire to be what they want regardless of restrictions. As well as this there is a clear underlying message of eating healthy and because the caterpillar is so memorable and relatable for children, they may replicate the same beliefs and values in their own lifes.

As a child, I can specifically remember enjoying books in which you can interact with the story. Books in which allowed you to listen and feel through the use of sound and materials were the ones that really encapsulated me. A particular favourite of mine was the ‘Captain Underpants’ books, not only because the humour was very relatable to me at that time, but it also allowed you to actually interact with the story. In every book, a particular segment allowed you to interact with the story by using a flip book animation. The flip book animation was a feature used in every fight scene and by quickly flicking through each page, it would create a moving picture. This feature, at the time, was perhaps considered unique to books and allowed you to interact in a fun and engaging way. Perhaps that is what engages children most know, with books such as ‘Jungle Sounds’ implementing different materials and sounds to embellish the experience when reading the book, and allowing the child to immerse themselves.

However, a large part of a school’s curriculum is to encourage children to read and their approach to this is perhaps what makes their development unique. According to the Huffington post, the way in children are taught to read is mainly reliant on the teaching of phonetics. Children are now more exposed to phonemes and how they are glued together to create a word, whereas before children may have been taught by the ‘look and say’ method. This is where children were taught to read words as whole units, rather than several morphemes. Then, children would learn to recognise the word through repetition and then gradually build up an eclectic range of vocabulary. An advantage of this ‘look and say’ method is that parents are easily able to replicate this teaching at home, meaning that they can further educate their child. Whereas with the method of focusing on the morphemes, it may be difficult for parents to teach their child this way as it is more complex. Now, the proposition of how we teach children to read changing over the years, it may impose another problem on how the child actually understands. If a child is being taught differently at home to in a school environment, they may become confused and become discouraged to actually read at all. Therefore it is important for the caregivers to sustain communication to allow the child to improve his reading ability.