A study (Q1/2022) published in the Neue Züricher Zeitung 03/22 shows that 15% of the population have difficulties with reading, writing and arithmetic. That is more than 140,000 people who have problems with basic skills. The Swiss are investing almost CHF 15 million francs to compensate for these deficits over the next few years.
Gambling is more important today than ever before! Yes!
Reading - a shared ritual
The foundations for reading and the joy of reading are laid at home. This begins with discovering picture books together and continues with regular reading aloud. After an eventful day, reading aloud in the evening is a calming, exciting and, above all, shared ritual. This regularity provides an important anchor.
Reading aloud is a basic need
This statement is made by DIE ZEIT, which publishes the annual reading aloud study together with the Deutsche Bahn Foundation. However, according to the 2021 reading aloud study, 32% of German parents never or rarely read aloud. In addition to a lack of time and desire, digital media and televisions are the main reason for the lack of basic work, according to the study.
In at least 16% of families, children do not receive any stimuli through reading aloud or storytelling. Kindergartens, childminders and daycare centers try to compensate for this as best they can.
Reading helps
Children who are regularly read to have a particularly good start at school. They have a larger vocabulary, learn to read more easily, are more empathetic and inherently more stable.
The study also shows that reading aloud helps children in 90% of cases when they are looking for peace, need comfort or feel tired and agitated.
Reading - a basic skill
Reading aloud does much to convey to the child the joy that reading can bring. This stimulus is important for linguistic and personal development, social skills and later access to life. This in turn is crucial for personal educational and life chances.
Learning to read is basic work
Learning to read is like learning to walk. The first steps are difficult and laborious. From the letter to the word, to the sentence, to the paragraph, to the chapter and eventually to the whole book. It takes a lot of time and patience. It is therefore all the more important that we as parents are aware of our responsibility to ensure that children make the transition from reading aloud to reading by themselves. Our children learn to read at school, but to make it fun, it takes a lot of practice to become a matter of course. This practice takes place at home.
Reading promotes pausing and concentration
Reading requires a pause, an engagement. This creates images in the mind and the feeling of immersion and experiencing what is written can be experienced. Thanks to digital media, stimuli are always available and children in particular are often flooded with stimuli. It is therefore all the more important to accompany them and give them this opportunity. But they need a lot of support to learn that reading is an activity that can satisfy many needs. The result after reading a book or a book chapter is different from the result after playing a game or watching a movie. We should give our children access to the experience of taking a break from everyday life and immersing themselves in reading to recharge their batteries.
I am shocked by the figures that show how many of us have difficulties with reading. That's why I want to draw attention to how important and crucial it is to anchor reading well in our children's lives.
Reading is a basic skill that is acquired in the first years of school. It is a cornerstone for active participation in life.
A few figures to read
In German-speaking countries, we commute in the same corridor.
DIE ZEIT: an article from 2018 already describes that 19% of 10-year-olds cannot read properly. That will soon be 19% of adults.
Standard, 8.2.2022: Reading difficulties affect all social classes. In Austria, more than 800,000 people are affected.
NZZ, 28.3.20200: According to a study, 15% of people in the canton of Zurich alone have difficulties with reading, arithmetic and writing. That is more than 140,000 people in this canton alone.
Time to act. Time to realize that the responsibility lies with us parents to give our children these tools, this joy. In my next article, I will explain what it takes and how it can work.
