What superpowers will reading for pleasure give me?

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A young boy is sat next to an older man, looking at work together

Reading for pleasure has lifelong benefits for all ages – children especially. As such, it sits at the heart of The Reading Agency’s mission and vision. Here Creative Director, Debbie Hicks, looks at the statistics behind those benefits, and discusses why reading for pleasure is so important.


Some super (important) statistics

Research shows that reading and talking about books helps children’s speech and language development, as well as their ability to understand and reflect on the world around them. It can also help to increase empathy, wellbeing, life skills and confidence. (1)

Research also indicates that reading for pleasure underpins children’s academic attainment: children who read books often at age 10, and more than once a week at age 16, gain higher results in maths, vocabulary and spelling tests at age 16 than those who read less regularly. (2)

Perhaps unsurprisingly, reading for pleasure is similarly associated with higher writing ability, text comprehension, grammar, and general knowledge. (3) And where children’s academic progress may have suffered as a result of the pandemic, reading for pleasure can help to bridge the gap in attainment.