Letting children choose which book they read improves their reading skills
If at any time of the year It is good to encourage children to read, more so during the summer, when they have so much free time. If you are already thinking about what books your little one will read, we give you a clue: let your child choose which book he wants to read during the holidays, as this will reinforce his reading skills.
This is suggested by a study, which also says that this prevents children from receding in reading skills, as highlighted by the scientific association Scientific American, who have echoed the interesting research.
Reading during the holidays
According to this work, children who can choose which books they will take home for the summer they read better when the next course begins that those who read books that have not been able to choose, according to the authors of the study, researchers from the University of Rochester, in New York
"We are beginning to understand that reading is a key determinant of health", has assured the main author of the research, Dr. Erin Kelly, who ensures that if students can choose between a variety of titles appropriate for their level, the best is free reading, because the children "will find something that interests them instead of an assigned task".
Research on reading during the summer
In order to reach these conclusions, a book fair was organized with 18 second-grade students from the North American city of Rochester, who were able to choose 13 books for the summer. In the meantime, another 20 students were chosen and imposed what they should read during the holidays.
The reading assessments that took place before and after the summer break showed that children who had been able to choose which books they wanted to read had improved their reading more than the other group (called the control group).
When observing these results, a year later the experiment was repeated with more students (from preschool to second grade of Primary), and the conclusions were the same: the level of reading improved substantially.
Therefore, if we have to draw a conclusion from this, it is that It is good to encourage children to read, but never force them to choose the book that we want. There are many different titles adapted to ages and reading levels, so if the little ones can choose which one they like best, it will be much better: more pleasant for them and with better results for the next year.
Angela R. Bonachera
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