Reading for pleasure in crisis: Can we stop the rot?

Just 1 in 3 (32.7%) young people aged 8 to 18 said that they enjoyed reading in their free time in 2025.(1)

31% of children eligible for free school meals report that they actively dislike reading.(2)

63% of KS2 teachers are concerned about reading enjoyment levels in their classes.(3)

These are just some of the sobering statistics from studies carried out by leading experts in the sector. Despite all the wonderful work being done by many organisations such as The Reading Agency, National Literacy Trust, and BookTrust, and by teachers in our schools, it seems that reading for pleasure (i.e. reading out of choice) is in crisis.

As educators and publishers, we already know full well that reading for enjoyment is just about the most empowering things a child can do to enhance their chances in life. Here are some of the known benefits experienced by children who read frequently for pleasure (in comparison with those that don’t):

• Significantly larger vocabulary
• Enhanced comprehension skills
• Stronger critical thinking skills
• Greater empathy and compassion
• Stronger imagination and creativity
• Better performance in school assessments across all subject areas, including maths!
• Better cognitive performance and mental wellbeing in adolescence

In fact, reading for pleasure is more important for children’s cognitive development than their parents’ level of education, and a more powerful factor in life achievement and life satisfaction than socio-economic background.(4)

So if reading for pleasure is so critical to children’s life chances, why isn’t this message getting across? Why should reading for pleasure be the preserve of the privileged in our society? What more can we do to change the narrative?

Before looking at solutions, let’s try to understand the reasons for the current reading crisis. Why are so many more children (and adults) reading less in their free time than before?

Competing with screens

In this technological age, the dopamine hit of online gaming, or the allure of an on-demand show or movie, competes with picking up a book and making the effort to read it. Reading, even for pleasure, does require some effort after all (but as we know we tend to get out of life what we put into it – no pain, no gain!). In the face of the instant gratification that online entertainment can provide, it’s not surprising that reading frequently gets sidelined for adults as well as children.

According to findings from The Reading Agency’s ‘State of the Nation in Adult Reading 2025’ report, nearly half (46%) of UK adults say they struggle to focus on reading due to the distractions around them.

Distraction is now such a dominant part of daily life that 1 in 3 adults (33%) shared that they’re multitasking while reading – whether commuting, exercising, or doing household chores. For younger adults, this figure spikes: 48% of 25–34s and 43% of 16–24s and 35-44s read on the go. (5)

Lack of reading role models

Statistics show that only 53% of adults read regularly in their free time. (5) Sadly, this has had the undesirable knock-on effect of parents reading less to their children, which means fewer adult reading role models for children to emulate.

Just 40% of parents say reading aloud to their child is ‘fun for me’, with Gen Z parents the most likely to consider reading as ‘more a subject to learn than a fun thing to do’. (6)

Boys may be particularly affected by the lack of positive male role models as studies show that across the 5-17 year, boys enjoy reading significantly less than girls do. The widespread stereotype that reading isn’t ‘cool’ seems to remain more stubbornly rooted among boys.

Lack of representation

Due to this tight squeeze on budgets, it’s not surprising that many schools hang onto dull and outdated children’s books and reading schemes that don’t fully reflect our vibrant and diverse society. If children cannot see themselves in books, they quickly conclude that reading isn’t for ‘someone like me’.

Reading scheme books are an essential pathway to becoming a fully-fledged independent reader for pleasure, and it’s vital that they engage all children, particularly those that do not have a reading culture at home are exposed to a rich variety of representative, inclusive and engaging books in their reading programme.   

For similar reasons, the Reading Agency developed The Teachers’ Reading Challenge to support teachers and school librarians to increase knowledge of new and exciting authors and titles, as well as provide practical support on how to encourage reading for pleasure in the classroom.

Lack of time

Lack of time is given in surveys as one of the biggest barriers to reading for pleasure. Bombarded with all the demands and distractions of modern life, adults and children find they are overscheduled and overwhelmed with homework, housework and a host of other activities to fit reading for pleasure into an already overflowing day.

A beacon of light in all the surveys is that children indicated that they would read more if they were given the time to do so. The Children’s Commissioner reported that while conducting The Big Ambition Survey, they found a clear message that ‘children want more access to books, more encouragement and more time to read’.

Children also want more agency to be able to choose what they read and not have their choices judged and dismissed by parents or teachers. All reading for pleasure is good reading – whether it be a graphic novel, poem, song lyrics, comic strip, recipe, or the latest bestselling children’s novel or non-fiction picture book. Audio books too can open up the world of reading to children who would otherwise be unable or not choose to read for pleasure.

So what can we do in the light of these findings to harness the power of reading, particularly for children who are most at risk of losing out on the benefits? Here are some top tips …  

11 top tips for fostering reading for pleasure:

1. Create an environment where a range of books and other reading materials, including audiobooks, are readily available. Display books enticingly (like in the best children’s bookshops) in the school library and within dedicated reading areas of the classroom. Refresh the displays frequently.
2. Invest in new children’s books whenever you can afford to – raise money for buying books at events such as the summer fair, from the PTA or other sources, such as the Children’s Book Project or your local library. Be creative about how you introduce the new books, such as hiding ‘golden tickets’ in the books that can be swapped for a book-related reward.    
3. Make time for reading. Dedicate time at the end of each school day for reading aloud to the children; and set aside quiet time at other times in the day when children can simply relax and lose themselves in a book of their choice.
4. Celebrate books and authors on World Book Day and at other times during the year. Invite authors from diverse backgrounds into school to inspire the children and demonstrate that reading (and writing) is for everyone.
5. Be a reading role model and talk about the books you read with the children. Encourage them to talk about the books they are reading, too. Share opinions, recommendations, reviews, etc. Some schools host a shared digital reading log, where children can post their reviews, photos of themselves reading, and recommend books to others.
6. Host regular sessions on the power of reading for parents. Invite parents into the school for a presentation, workshop and/or one-to-one meetings. Entice them with refreshments. Support them, where required, with information in their home language and emphasise that reading for pleasure in the home language brings most, if not all, the benefits of reading in English.
7. Use a reading and phonics programme such as Reading Planet/Rocket Phonics, that build in a love of story and reading from the get-go. With modern and up-to-date print and ebooks with built-in audio, the whole programme includes a wide range of genres with diverse and inclusive characters that will engage all children to read for pleasure and purpose.
8. Support less able readers with targeted interventions, bring in reading helpers (can be parents or other vetted volunteers), and use appealing reading resources, such as the Astro strand of Reading Planet which is a vibrant collection of high-lo readers, including graphic novels with language pitched at an accessible level.
9. Take classes to visit the local library. Encourage students to explore all the different books, genres and resources available. Find out about special events and workshops hosted in the library and any other services they can provide.
10. Take part in the Teachers’ Reading Challenge over the summer to expand your knowledge of contemporary children's books and deepen your understanding of reading for pleasure pedagogy with resources and ideas from The Reading Agency and the Open University.

With creativity, vision and commitment we can create a reading community that changes the story, that values and celebrates books, authors and diverse voices, so that all children, whatever their background, can have the chance to develop a love of reading.

Together we can work to slow the reading for pleasure crisis and give as many children as possible one of the most precious gifts you can give to a child – a deep appreciation of reading and books. Even if we can only inspire a few children along the way, it will have all been well worth it.

About the author

Helen Parker is Senior Lead Product Manager for primary literacy at Hachette Learning (formerly Hodder Education/Rising Stars). She joined the company 10 years ago with the vision of creating a brand new reading programme that would inspire children of all ages, abilities and backgrounds to develop a love of reading. Reading Planet and Rocket Phonics were the result. Now with 800+ published titles, the programme provides a fresh, rich and vibrant collection of print and digital reading books that will inspire all young learners to read. Learn more about Reading Planet and Rocket Phonics here.