Podcasts about family reading report

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 2449: Julie Morgenstern's insights reveal how intentional moments of physical, mental, social, and spiritual rest can recharge parents, making them more focused and present. She also highlights the transformative power of reading with children, offering practical strategies to foster connection, enjoyment, and lifelong learning through books. Read along with the original article(s) here: https://www.juliemorgenstern.com/tips-tools-blog/4-types-of-rest-every-parent-needs & https://www.juliemorgenstern.com/tips-tools-blog/2020/6/25/the-power-of-reading-to-kids Quotes to ponder: "Taking a conscious break to chat for just a couple of minutes has proven to be an extremely effective shot in the arm: it can reduce stress and provide hormonal and psychological benefits." "As a parent, learning how to inject 'active' rest into your schedule is a game changer." "Books can provide a powerful point of entry for relating to kids to spur conversation, explore emotions, discover hobbies, and learn new information." Episode references: Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report: https://www.scholastic.com/readingreport Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Children are just suffering more,” says Dr. Linda C. Mayes, director of the Yale Child Study Center. A pediatrician by training, Dr. Mayes specializes in child and adolescent psychiatry. Like other health care professionals, she is sounding the alarm about the rise in anxiety and depression in young people. In this episode, Dr. Mayes talks with host Suzanne McCabe about the reasons for this disturbing trend and explores how we, as a society, can address the challenges our children are facing. Dr. Mayes is also the Arnold Gesell Professor of Child Psychiatry, Pediatrics, and Psychology at the Yale Child Study Center and Special Advisor to the Dean at the Yale School of Medicine. She heads the Child Study Center–Scholastic Collaborative, which arose from a shared commitment to exploring how literacy can be used to foster resilience among children and families. → Resources New Mental Health Resource From Scholastic: Check out our new online hub of books and curated, free resources fostering emotional health with insights from leading child development experts. Meet Dr. Linda C. Mayes: The director of the Yale Child Study Center, Dr. Mayes is an expert in developmental psychology, pediatrics, and child psychiatry literature. Kids & Family Reading Report: There's lots to explore in Scholastic's biennial national survey of parents' and children's reading attitudes and behaviors. Reach Out and Read: Learn how the nonprofit organization partners with pediatric care providers to help families make reading a part of their routines. → The Conversation What trends are you seeing at the Yale Child Study Center in terms of children's mental health? What types of emotional and behavioral disorders are kids presenting? At the Child Study Center here in New Haven, what we're seeing is no different than what's being seen across the country and around the world. The increase in mental health needs among children and adolescents often is framed as a post-COVID phenomenon. But over the past few years, there's been a steady increase in children's mental health needs—depression, suicidality, anxiety, increased feelings of stress—that speaks to an overall stress among children and families. COVID and the pandemic added to the mental health crisis. The pandemic also highlighted some of the fragilities in our healthcare system. One might think in the same way, that the pandemic highlighted the mental health needs and vulnerabilities of our youngest citizens, and that we're seeing an increased volume is important to know. We're also seeing an increase in severity. Children are just suffering more, and we're seeing children thinking about suicide at an earlier age. We're seeing more eating disorders starting at an earlier age. Our children's distress is also an expression of the increasing distress and fragmentation of our society. Children, in a sense, are like the canaries in the coal mine. They're experiencing the distress, the increased lack of civility, the increased fragmentation. The lack of civility and lack of empathy among adults is striking. Where did that come from? I think there are multiple causes. We've had an economically stressed society. We have the stresses of the pandemic. We have a politically divided society now. Whatever side of the aisle you're on, to use that metaphor, it's very hard to cross the aisle. We've lost the ability to have a conversation where you see the other person as an individual who may or may not agree with you, but who is still an individual worthy of respect. How to do that is a fundamental skill. It's the glue that holds society together. When children see and feel and experience that kind of fracturing, it's not good for their—or anyone's—mental health. What signs should parents and educators look for if they think a child needs clinical intervention? When children are just not themselves, when they've changed, when they might have been the outgoing, playful, always-helping child who now is quiet, maybe even a little bit irritable, when there's a real change in who they are in their presentation. Typically, people talk about when grades start to go down. That's another indicator. When kids start to lose their enjoyment for the things they dearly loved. If they love to read, for example, but they stop reading. Or they love to play with friends, but now they just want to stay in the house. Those kinds of changes in behavior are important to notice. It's not always the child who's sad and withdrawn. It can be the child who suddenly is acting out or the child who is now afraid of a whole number of things. Those kinds of changes, and especially parents who know their children well, when they see that they're just not themselves, that's what to pay attention to. If a child is withdrawn, they may not want to speak. Are there ways to spur conversation without asking repeated questions? One of the most important ways is to be present. Sometimes, it may be taking a walk, or reading a book together, or just doing something together. Silence can be quite deafening. In our busy lives, families don't often have those moments, those dinner-together moments, or those quiet walk-after-dinner together moments, or those times just sitting on the steps and talking. Those are the kinds of moments that bring people together. A child may not start talking right then. They may need to have a bit of quiet reassurance that, yes, somebody is going to be there, and they're going to be listening. Many areas in the U.S. have a shortage of mental health professionals. What is being done to make treatment more accessible and more effective? There's a shortage of healthcare professionals broadly, and there's a shortage of healthcare professionals around children's needs broadly. That includes physicians, pediatricians, psychologists, and social workers, because mental health for children is delivered not just by one profession. Before addressing what is being done and what can be done, we need to ask the question of why. Why is there a shortage of healthcare providers, especially post-COVID, but why is there especially a shortage of mental health providers? There are a few reasons that we, as a society, need to look at very deeply. One of them is how we think about mental health. We often think about it as “the other,” that it's not a part of overall health, that it's not a part of physical health. The division between physical and mental health is an artificial one. They go together. Another why is the stigma about mental health. As much as we've tried to work on it, it's still alive and well in this country. It still impacts policy and decisions that people make about going into the field. It affects how we reimburse and support mental health, especially children's mental health. Generally, children's health is reimbursed less. By reimbursement, I mean by commercial payers and the individuals or institutions that pay for care. Then you take children's mental health care and it's not on par with other kinds of care. It's very hard [for a health care professional] to make a wage that would support themselves and their family after years of training. So, we have a reimbursement structure that also perpetuates the bias. As a country, we need to put that front and center because the other things we can do to improve access or care will be great and are great. During the pandemic, we learned a lot about the delivery of telehealth. We learned how to deliver mental health care across virtual platforms, making it available to children and families across state lines, from rural to urban, extending the capacity of a clinician in an urban area. We still need to increase broadband access in rural areas, and states need to work together so that clinicians can deliver care across state lines. We've also learned that some children need just a few sessions with a mental health care provider. Some even respond to one or two sessions. Thinking more creatively about how we deliver services across telehealth platforms will improve access dramatically. We're in a revolutionary time for mental health care for kids. Can you describe the mechanisms by which literacy can lead to improved physical and mental health outcomes? How does literacy impact health? It opens the world. You learn what a variety of people do. You also learn about your body. You learn how it works, what's good and not good. Reading—including storytelling—is stress-relieving. Reading has dropped blood pressure to a healthy level in some studies. It's what we call emotionally organizing. Reading also brings people together. If you've read a good book, you tell a friend about it, and soon the two of you are talking about that book. The same is true if a child brings you a book and wants you to read it. Reading builds interpersonal links between parent and child or teacher and child. It's a very strong glue for building relationships. And we know from research that relationships and social connectedness have as strong an impact on health as good nutrition and not smoking, for example. So, it's through those areas, and then another, what we would call a meta or proxy variable: If you're more literate, you're more educated. If you're more educated, you know how to access health resources better. You make better choices. Yet we have two systems—our healthcare system and our educational system. The two don't always work together. What's good for kids in this country is to bring health and education together. There's a significant finding in Scholastic's latest Kids & Family Reading Report that reinforces this notion. Kids who read more reported better mental health overall, with fewer occurrences of anxiety, depression, and loneliness. Yes, and that's a very important finding. As a researcher, though, I need to warn that it's associative and not necessarily causal. It may be that children who have better mental health read more and by reading more, they feel better. The report also found that 41% of students get most of their books at school, which highlights the importance of teacher curation and accessibility. Are you and other experts seeing adverse effects on children due to book banning? I deeply worry for our society because of book banning. In my world, the medical world, we talk about symptoms that are the danger signs of something more serious. A very high fever, for example, or very high blood pressure, or a very low white blood cell count, indicates that something serious is going on in that individual. I see book banning as one of those indicators of something serious going on in our society, what we talked about earlier, the fractionated society. I can certainly talk about book banning and children, but I think we also need to think about what it says diagnostically about our social fabric. That said, there are no empirical studies about book banning that I know of, but it's just common sense. You don't limit a child's curiosity. You don't say to them, “You shouldn't read this. This book has principles that aren't good for you.” Let them read it and have an open discussion. Let them watch a television program, watch it with them, and have an open discussion. When you ban a book, you're saying that certain forms of knowledge and experience are off-limits. That is just fundamentally against learning, building curiosity, building an ability to engage with the world in any way. I do realize that my stance is from a particularly liberal point of view. I'm very aware of that. At the same time, I know what's good for children and I know what's good for children's learning, and I know that inhibiting or prohibiting pathways to learning in any way is not good for children's cognitive development. What measures among key stakeholders are being taken to improve literacy outcomes for children, even starting with preschoolers? I would say even starting with infancy and prenatally. I think one of the fundamental messages, if you want to go back even further, is that talking, storytelling, building relationships, using words, is a fundamental literacy skill. So, a mom or a couple who are pregnant: Talk to the baby inside the mom's tummy. Build up a repertoire of stories, and when that baby comes, you'll have the repertoire of stories. When you have your infant in your arms, talk to them about the world around them. Tell them stories about yourself. Tell them stories about what just happened during the day. Tell them about the sun and the rain outside. You're building literacy when you do that. Literacy doesn't have to just be by books, by just using words and creating a narrative. That said, while we certainly need more pediatricians in this country, and more access to children's special healthcare, we miss an opportunity in the healthcare world, and this gets back to bringing education and health together. We miss an opportunity to not use pediatricians even more than Reach Out and Read already does. We should use pediatricians as the conduit for literacy and the conduit for books because pediatricians are the individuals or healthcare professionals are the individuals that children see before they are of school age. But it's not just putting books in children's hands, it's also having adults know how to use those books. It's not just reading the words, but helping the child think about what else could have happened in a story. The blue bear did this with his friend, the goose, but what else could bear have done? Or what was goose thinking about? Why do you think goose did that? To really help children expand that narrative and to engage with them around building out the story, not just literally reading the story. In doing that, you're encouraging their imagination. The most fundamental way to build literacy is to build narrative and storytelling. Many teachers are encountering not just mental and emotional challenges among students, but also behavioral issues to an extent they haven't seen before. What advice do you have for educators who are feeling overwhelmed and don't have the resources to address this rise in students' mental health needs? There are three things I would say to teachers. One is that, besides parents, you have the hardest and most responsible job in our society. You're taking care of and launching our next generation. I deeply appreciate not only the work that all teachers do, but also the stress that teachers are under and the burdens they feel. I also would say is that if you can hold in mind, and it's incredibly hard to do, when a child is melting down in front of you or angrily yelling or out of control, that all behavior is a communication, and then take just a little space inside yourself to wonder what is this child trying to tell me? What are they trying to say with this behavior? Maybe the child won't know, but you'll know that they're communicating something through their behavior. Maybe they're trying to say that they're scared. Maybe they're trying to say that they're exhausted. Maybe they're trying to say that they need you or they need someone more, but they're trying to say something. It's a really hard thing to do in the moment, but it's extraordinarily important. Behavioral disruptions are happening across the country at all ages. It's not just kids in classrooms. We're seeing adults lose it in various settings. When children cause behavioral disruptions, the preschool phrase is often, “Use your words.” Preschool teachers know that if you can get the behavior into words, you can help. The third thing I would offer to teachers is, if you can, have a peer or someone else you can talk to. You have your own mental health needs that shouldn't go unheard. Guns are now the leading cause of death among children and teens. Do we know the psychological and social impact of community violence, mass shootings, and even active shooter drills in schools? I have many colleagues who think a lot about this and who are much more expert in it than I. For example, here at the Child Study Center, we have our Child Development-Community Policing Program. My colleagues Steven Marans and Carrie Epstein and the rest of their team, Megan Goslin, are often called to consult and help teachers, and they do that in such a clinically skilled and sensitive way. We have an enormous availability of guns in this country and a history of guns being used to express a range of distress and feelings. The corollary is that it has happened so often, we're numbed by it. A staggering number of mass shootings have happened in this country, defined as four or more injured. Some of them don't even make the news at this point. What's the effect on children? Broadly, school is no longer as safe a place as it once was. What do active shooter drills do? As a researcher, I would want to know more about that, but I'm guessing it makes children more scared. I'm guessing it raises the anxiety level of teachers, too. Whether they're effective for that event, may it never happen, is another question. I've often heard people compare active shooter drills to back when the threat of nuclear war began. Schools had drills, and kids were asked to get under their desks. If you look back on it, it looks kind of crazy. My worry about active shooter drills is, not just are they effective, not just do they raise teachers' anxiety and children's anxiety, but my worry is that we may be putting our attention in the wrong place. We're putting our attention on the possibility that this terrible thing might happen. Really, our attention should be on why? Why is it happening more frequently? Why is it that we can't look at the harsh truth of the availability of guns? Why can we not look at other societies experiencing the same broad global stress that don't have these kinds of mass shootings? Ask those questions. Researchers at the Yale Child Study Center-Scholastic Collaborative have identified altruism as a hallmark of resilience. How can altruism play a role in helping children and communities emerge stronger after a traumatic event? It's not just us. There's a large body of work about altruism across several settings, altruism and prisoner of war situations, altruism during natural disasters. Altruism is a fundamentally human capacity. We also see it in some non-human primates, as well. It's the ability to reach outside of yourself and think about the needs of others, to make some sacrifice of yourself in order to help someone else. So, for example, in the darkest of situations, like in a prisoner of war situation, when you take your food ration and give it to the person next to you who you know is starving, although you yourself don't have much. It's the ability to reach out and make a connection to someone else, thinking outside yourself about someone else's needs. You see it all the time in this country. When there's a tragedy, you see people coming together in the most remarkably altruistic ways: firemen risking their own lives to bring a family to safety, families who have almost nothing bringing everything they have to the neighbor down the street whose house was wiped out by a tornado. It's a basic human. We survive because we are a community. So, what can we do more of? Talk about altruism. Highlight it. Altruism is good for your health. It's a very ironic message, that by sacrificing yourself for someone else, you also are doing something good for yourself. You're improving your own health and your own likelihood of a healthy outcome. But you don't do it for that reason. You do it because of the basic human need to create community. → Special Thanks Producer: Maxine Osa Sound engineer: Daniel Jordan Music composer: Lucas Elliot Eberl → Coming Soon Top Story: Author Kelly Yang Talks With a Scholastic Kid Reporter A Darker Mischief: Celebrate Pride Month With Author Derek Millman

This week we are joined by Dr. William Stixrud, neuropsychologist, and co-author of the widely known and regarded book, The Self-Driven Child. We talk with Dr. William Stixrud about becoming and helping your child become a self-driven reader. In this episode we talk about: 1. What is motivation in relation to the issues Dr. Stixrud addresses in The Self-Driven Child. 2.. The connection between some things we have researched and read about in Scholastic’s Kid and Family Reading Report, especially the “Decline by Nine” with the principles of child self-motivation. “I love you too much to fight with you about reading.” 3. Some words of encouragement for those who are skeptical of handing over more control of their reading and academic habits to their children. “Making peace with the fact that you really can’t force a kid to do something is really liberating as a parent.” “I want to support kids in every way to become a good reader, but I also want to pay attention to what we know about the brain. If at the end of the day, at night when a kid is tired and done with school, the idea that making them read is going to make them better, it just doesn’t make any brain sense at all.”  4. How we can help kids who are struggling with reading. “What I recommend is that they...be allowed to listen. We know that the same brain systems activate if you are listening to a story or if you are reading it yourself- the same brain systems having to do with comprehension.” 5. How we can prioritize our relationship with a child when there are struggles or friction. 6. How the difference in boys’ and girls’ physiology and development can play a role in their reading development and how important it can be to bear this in mind.  7. Some thoughts on rewards and incentives and how we can use them to our and our kids’ advantage. “It’s not trying to bribe them to do stuff we want to do, it’s...helping them beat their own goals.” We are so grateful to Dr. Stixrud for taking the time to talk with us! More information about him, his work and what we chatted about can be found in the following places: Resources we mention in Helping Kids Take Control of their Reading Instagram: @simplyonpurpose with Ralphie Jacobs Websites:  Simply on Purpose The Stixrud Group https://stixrud.com Scholastic’s Kid and Family Reading Report https://www.scholastic.com/readingreport/home.html Books The Self-Driven Child by William Stixrud and Ned Johnson What Do You Say? by William Stixrud and Ned Johnson (coming Fall 2021) Grit by Angela Duckworth You may also be interested in: Fighting the Decline by Nine with Lauren Tarshis You may have missed our last episode with Kai Gomeau...

Cuando tuve a mi primera hija tenía la intención de leerle, la llevaba a la biblioteca, le compraba libros, pero no tenía la información de que esto era algo que podía extenderse por más tiempo. En los años 80 Jim Trelease escribió un libro llamado The Read Aloud Handbook, el cual despertó la llama de la lectura en voz alta en esa década y continúa haciéndolo hasta hoy. Este libro me ha motivado a entender por qué es importante prolongar la lectura en voz alta a los niños a lo largo de los años. Sus hallazgos fueron reveladores, porque expusieron la gran disminución en el interés por la lectura en los estudiantes y la gran solución para ello. Las estadísticas revelaron hace años que la baja en el interés de los niños y jóvenes por los libros coincide con la baja en el tiempo en que los adultos dedican a leerle en voz alta. Acompáñame a ver estos estudios y a unirte a un nuevo reto de lectura que comenzaremos el 1 de Junio de 2020. También hablamos sobre el estudio de Scholastic sobre el reporte de lectura de familias y niños (KIDS & FAMILY READING REPORT). https://www.scholastic.com/readingreport/navigate-the-world.html

Today we discuss the amazing power of reading aloud. We talk about the tremendous benefits from simply reading to your children. There are so many positives that have been found from the act of listening to stories as a child. It is a key in their mental development and builds their imagination which will serve them well as they grow. Turn off the electronics and put down the phones. Pick up a book and read together as a family and travel to distant countries, meet world leaders, and blast into far away galaxies. All these adventures are just a turn of the page. If you have any questions or comments send us an email at thehomeschoolprojectpodcast@gmail.com and follow us on Instagram at homeschool_project_podcast We hope you enjoy. "Reading with children starting in infancy gives lasting literacy boost" - https://www.aappublications.org/news/2017/05/04/PASLiteracy050417Scholastic Kids and Family Reading Report - https://www.scholastic.com/content/dam/KFRR/TheRiseOfReadAloud/KFRR_The%20Rise%20of%20Read%20Aloud.pdfHome Education by Charlotte M. Mason - https://books.google.com/books?id=i0hC5PiskJoC&pg=PA153&dq=children+should+have+the+joy+of+living+in+far+lands,+in+other+persons,+at+other+times-+a+delightful+double+existence;+and+this+joy+they+will+find,+for+the+most+part,+in+their+storybooks&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj6t9rxpa_nAhWKGc0KHat5CIYQ6AEwAHoECAAQAg#v=onepage&q=children%20should%20have%20the%20joy%20of%20living%20in%20far%20lands%2C%20in%20other%20persons%2C%20at%20other%20times-%20a%20delightful%20double%20existence%3B%20and%20this%20joy%20they%20will%20find%2C%20for%20the%20most%20part%2C%20in%20their%20storybooks&f=falseStory Time From Space - https://storytimefromspace.com/Hands On Is Minds On - http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3751901Read-Aloud Revival - https://readaloudrevival.com/Northeast Ohio Parent - https://www.northeastohioparent.com/education/pre-literacy-skills-for-preschoolers/?fbclid=IwAR03XQsSbCyV3R0ZyETOHp4EWxSlWl76EytnlDKyF5EbZ5d6nDDkMSHqiL052 Days By Camel - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1554511364/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=nromeo-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1554511364&linkId=df5d43740fbcfad88ce70318ad349ec0 Amazon Audible - https://amzn.to/2Sqju3vAs an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases

Access to books, whether in or outside of the home, is not a reality for many children. According to the latest Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report™, classroom libraries are only available for 43 percent of school-age children. And only one-third of kids say that they have access to a classroom library with enough of the types of books they'd like to read. On this episode, we're talking with two educators who are working to bridge this gap.  Guests: David C. Banks:  David is the president and CEO of the Eagle Academy Foundation. He and Scholastic have joined forces to curate collections of culturally relevant fiction, nonfiction, and biographies for perhaps the most under-represented group in literature: boys of color. This new classroom library, “Rising Voices,” celebrates the stories of Black and Latino boys.  Illysa Thomas: A kindergarten teacher at Empowerment Academy Charter School in Jersey City, New Jersey who is a Patterson Pledge grant winner.  Additional Resources: Rising Voices Patterson Pledge  Special thanks: Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl Produced and edited by Bridget Benjamin Produced and edited by Mackenzie Cutruzzula Sound mix and recording by Daniel Jordan  

We are joined this week by Lauren Tarshis to talk about her work with Scholastic’s Kids and Family Reading Report, specifically a section they call the “Decline by 9,” which is a trend Scholastic’s Report has noted where children’s interest in reading sharply drops around age nine.

It takes guts to face your fears. Bestselling creator Raina Telgemeier is encouraging young readers to do just that with her latest graphic novel memoir, Guts, which shares the stories of Raina's own experiences with anxiety as a child. This week, Raina joins us in the studio to talk about Guts. We also talk with Dr. Eli Lebowitz, who studies and treats childhood and adolescent anxiety and is Director of the Program for Anxiety Disorders at the Yale Child Study Center. Additional resources: Learn more about Guts by Raina Telgemeier Follow Raina Telgemeier on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook Learn more about the Yale Child Study Center–Scholastic Collaborative for Child & Family Resilience See more data from the Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report Guests: Raina Telgemeier is the #1 New York Times bestselling, multiple Eisner Award-winning creator of Smile and Sisters, which are both graphic memoirs based on her childhood. She is also the creator of Drama and Ghosts, and is the adapter and illustrator of four Baby-sitters Club graphic novels. Raina lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. To learn more, visit her online at goRaina.com. Eli Lebowitz studies and treats childhood and adolescent anxiety and is Director of the Program for Anxiety Disorders at the Yale Child Study Center. His research focuses on the development, neurobiology, and treatment of anxiety and related disorders, with special emphasis on cross-generational and familial influences in these disorders. Dr. Lebowitz is the lead investigator on multiple funded research projects, and is the author of numerous research papers and of books and chapters on childhood and adolescent anxiety. He is also the father of three great boys. Special thanks: Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl Sound mix and recording by Daniel Jordan Edited by Mackenzie Cutruzzula Produced by Emily Morrow

Summer reading this year is all about kids' empowerment with the Scholastic Summer Read-a-Palooza, our nationwide movement to unite kids, parents, educators, public librarians, community partners, and booksellers in efforts to get books into the hands of more kids during the summer and keep every child reading.   This week, you'll hear from some kids first-hand about what they love about summer reading. We also talk about how Scholastic is getting 200,000 books into the hands of kids who need them through a national collaboration with United Way. And we talk with two booksellers who have been working to engage their communities in summer reading through book drives and Summer Reading Celebration events! Additional resources: Learn more about the Scholastic Summer Read-a-Palooza Join the Summer Reading Challenge Find a Summer Reading Celebration near you Read more of our research around summer reading in the Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report Learn more about United Way Learn more about Beanbag Books Learn more about The Bookstore Plus Guests: Stephanie Smirnov is the executive vice president of global communications at Scholastic. Ayeola Fortune is the senior director of impact and global results at United Way Worldwide. Jody Everett is the owner of Beanbag Books in Delaware, OH. Sarah Galvin is the owner of The Bookstore Plus in Lake Placid, NY. Special thanks: Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl Sound mix and recording by Daniel Jordan Edited by Mackenzie Cutruzzula Produced by Emily Morrow

Summer reading this year is all about kids' empowerment with the Scholastic Summer Read-a-Palooza, our nationwide movement to unite kids, parents, educators, public librarians, community partners, and booksellers in efforts to get books into the hands of more kids during the summer and keep every child reading.  This week, you'll hear from some kids first-hand about what they love about summer reading. We also talk about how Scholastic is getting 200,000 books into the hands of kids who need them through a national collaboration with United Way. And we talk with two booksellers who have been working to engage their communities in summer reading through book drives and Summer Reading Celebration events! Additional resources: Learn more about the Scholastic Summer Read-a-Palooza Join the Summer Reading Challenge Find a Summer Reading Celebration near you Read more of our research around summer reading in the Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report Learn more about United Way Learn more about Beanbag Books Learn more about The Bookstore Plus Guests: Stephanie Smirnov is the executive vice president of global communications at Scholastic. Ayeola Fortune is the senior director of impact and global results at United Way Worldwide. Jody Everett is the owner of Beanbag Books in Delaware, OH. Sarah Galvin is the owner of The Bookstore Plus in Lake Placid, NY. Special thanks: Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl Sound mix and recording by Daniel Jordan Edited by Mackenzie Cutruzzula Produced by Emily Morrow

In our biennial Kids & Family Reading Report, we came across some findings that were a bit, well, concerning: At nine years old — usually when a child is in third grade — kids across the board report a significantly reduced interest in reading. Here are some of the stats: 57% of 8-year-olds said they read books for fun 5 to 7 days a week. But by age 9, that drops to a mere 35%. 40% of 8-year-olds say they love to read. By age 9, only 28% say that. We find similar decreases in the numbers around access to books (more 6- to 8-year-olds have a classroom library than 9- to 11-year-olds) and the presence of reading role models (more 6- to 8-year-olds say they have people in their lives who enjoy reading than 9- to 11-year-olds). Additionally, nearly half of 9-year-olds say they have trouble finding books they like.  What's causing the "decline by nine"? And what can we do about it? We talked with education and reading experts to find out. Additional resources: Read more about the findings from our Kids & Family Reading Report (and listen to past episodes around the importance of the read aloud and what kids are looking for in the books they read) Learn more about Scholastic Classroom Magazines Learn more about the I Survived series by Lauren Tarshis Learn more about Scholastic Literacy Guests: Lauren Tarshis is the Senior Vice President and Editor-In-Chief/Publisher, Scholastic Classroom Magazines. She is also the author of the New York Times bestselling series I Survived. Michael Haggen is the Chief Academic Officer, Scholastic Education. Jaime Vandergrift is a third grade teacher at Sara Harp Minter Elementary. Kristen Cruikshank is a third grade teacher at Lamar Consolidated ISD. Dr. Donyall Dickey is an author and consultant for Scholastic Literacy. Special thanks: Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl Sound mix and recording by Daniel Jordan Edited by Mackenzie Cutruzzula Produced by Emily Morrow

In our biennial Kids & Family Reading Report, we came across some findings that were a bit, well, concerning: At nine years old — usually when a child is in third grade — kids across the board report a significantly reduced interest in reading. Here are some of the stats: 57% of 8-year-olds said they read books for fun 5 to 7 days a week. But by age 9, that drops to a mere 35%. 40% of 8-year-olds say they love to read. By age 9, only 28% say that. We find similar decreases in the numbers around access to books (more 6- to 8-year-olds have a classroom library than 9- to 11-year-olds) and the presence of reading role models (more 6- to 8-year-olds say they have people in their lives who enjoy reading than 9- to 11-year-olds). Additionally, nearly half of 9-year-olds say they have trouble finding books they like.  What's causing the "decline by nine"? And what can we do about it? We talked with education and reading experts to find out. Additional resources: Read more about the findings from our Kids & Family Reading Report (and listen to past episodes around the importance of the read aloud and what kids are looking for in the books they read) Learn more about Scholastic Classroom Magazines Learn more about the I Survived series by Lauren Tarshis Learn more about Scholastic Literacy Guests: Lauren Tarshis is the Senior Vice President and Editor-In-Chief/Publisher, Scholastic Classroom Magazines. She is also the author of the New York Times bestselling series I Survived. Michael Haggen is the Chief Academic Officer, Scholastic Education. Jaime Vandergrift is a third grade teacher at Sara Harp Minter Elementary. Kristen Cruikshank is a third grade teacher at Lamar Consolidated ISD. Dr. Donyall Dickey is an author and consultant for Scholastic Literacy. Special thanks: Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl Sound mix and recording by Daniel Jordan Edited by Mackenzie Cutruzzula Produced by Emily Morrow

Scholastic surveys thousands of kids and their families across the U.S. biennially for our Kids & Family Reading Report, gaining special insight into the latest trends in children's reading habits. The second of three installments, Finding Their Story, focuses on what kids want in books and characters, the rising demand for diversity in children's books, and the importance of access to books. This week, you'll hear from four of our in-house experts — as well as some kids themselves! — about what the data tells us that kids and their families are looking for in the books they read. Additional resources: See all of the findings from the Kids & Family Reading Report: Finding Their Story Learn more about Game of Stars by Sayantani DasGupta Learn more about the I Survived series by Lauren Tarshis Learn more about the Power of Story initiative and download the catalog See the full digital catalog on Edelweiss Read Lizette Serrano's blog post about Esperanza Rising  Guests: Lauren Tarshis is the Vice President and Editor-in-Chief/Publisher of Scholastic Classroom Magazines. She's also the author of the bestselling I Survived series. Andrea Davis Pinkney is a Vice President, Executive Editor of Scholastic Trade books and an award-winning children's book author. Michael Haggen is the Chief Academic Officer at Scholastic. Lizette Serrano is the Executive Director of Educational Marketing and Event Strategy at Scholastic. Special thanks: Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl Sound mix and recording by Daniel Jordan Edited by Mackenzie Cutruzzula Produced by Emily Morrow, Mackenzie Cutruzzula, Suzanne McCabe

Scholastic surveys thousands of kids and their families across the U.S. biennially for our Kids & Family Reading Report, gaining special insight into the latest trends in children's reading habits. The second of three installments, Finding Their Story, focuses on what kids want in books and characters, the rising demand for diversity in children's books, and the importance of access to books. This week, you'll hear from four of our in-house experts — as well as some kids themselves! — about what the data tells us that kids and their families are looking for in the books they read. Additional resources: See all of the findings from the Kids & Family Reading Report: Finding Their Story Learn more about Game of Stars by Sayantani DasGupta Learn more about the I Survived series by Lauren Tarshis Learn more about the Power of Story initiative and download the catalog See the full digital catalog on Edelweiss Read Lizette Serrano's blog post about Esperanza Rising  Guests: Lauren Tarshis is the Vice President and Editor-in-Chief/Publisher of Scholastic Classroom Magazines. She's also the author of the bestselling I Survived series. Andrea Davis Pinkney is a Vice President, Executive Editor of Scholastic Trade books and an award-winning children's book author. Michael Haggen is the Chief Academic Officer at Scholastic. Lizette Serrano is the Executive Director of Educational Marketing and Event Strategy at Scholastic. Special thanks: Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl Sound mix and recording by Daniel Jordan Edited by Mackenzie Cutruzzula Produced by Emily Morrow, Mackenzie Cutruzzula, Suzanne McCabe

Scholastic surveys thousands of kids and their families across the U.S. biennially for our Kids & Family Reading Report, gaining special insight into the latest trends in children's reading habits. The first of three installments, The Rise of Read-Aloud, focuses exclusively on the practice of, you guessed it, reading aloud. We wanted to know: When do parents start reading aloud to their children? How often are they reading? What are they reading? And how do kids feel about it all? This week, you'll hear from a literacy expert, an author, an editor, and several kids and families all about what makes the read-aloud so special, and why it's a crucial experience for kids of all ages.  Additional resources:  See all of our findings from our Kids & Family Reading Report: The Rise of Read-Aloud Read more from Pam Allyn about the findings in our report Learn more about Sandra Magsamen Learn more about World Read Aloud Day from Scholastic and from LitWorld Guests: Pam Allyn is the Senior Vice President, Innovation & Development at Scholastic Education. She's also a leading literacy expert, author, and motivational speaker. In 2007, she founded LitWorld, a global literacy organization serving children across the United States and in more than 60 countries, pioneering initiatives including the summer reading program LitCamp and World Read Aloud Day. Sandra Magsamen is the author and illustrator of many books for young children, including  a number of bestselling novelty stories such as Baby Love, I Love You Little Pumpkin, and Peek-a-Boo I Love You. As an artist, an art therapist, and a mom, she uses her creativity to remind people to express themeselves and connect with others.  Liza Baker is the vice president and executive editorial director of Scholastic's Cartwheel Books and Orchard Press imprints. Special thanks: Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl Sound mix and recording by Daniel Jordan Edited by Mackenzie Cutruzzula Produced by Emily Morrow   

Scholastic surveys thousands of kids and their families across the U.S. biennially for our Kids & Family Reading Report, gaining special insight into the latest trends in children’s reading habits. The first of three installments, The Rise of Read-Aloud, focuses exclusively on the practice of, you guessed it, reading aloud. We wanted to know: When do parents start reading aloud to their children? How often are they reading? What are they reading? And how do kids feel about it all? This week, you'll hear from a literacy expert, an author, an editor, and several kids and families all about what makes the read-aloud so special, and why it's a crucial experience for kids of all ages.  Additional resources:  See all of our findings from our Kids & Family Reading Report: The Rise of Read-Aloud Read more from Pam Allyn about the findings in our report Learn more about Sandra Magsamen Learn more about World Read Aloud Day from Scholastic and from LitWorld Guests: Pam Allyn is the Senior Vice President, Innovation & Development at Scholastic Education. She's also a leading literacy expert, author, and motivational speaker. In 2007, she founded LitWorld, a global literacy organization serving children across the United States and in more than 60 countries, pioneering initiatives including the summer reading program LitCamp and World Read Aloud Day. Sandra Magsamen is the author and illustrator of many books for young children, including  a number of bestselling novelty stories such as Baby Love, I Love You Little Pumpkin, and Peek-a-Boo I Love You. As an artist, an art therapist, and a mom, she uses her creativity to remind people to express themeselves and connect with others.  Liza Baker is the vice president associate publisher of Scholastic's Cartwheel Books and Orchard Press imprints. Special thanks: Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl Sound mix and recording by Daniel Jordan Edited by Mackenzie Cutruzzula Produced by Emily Morrow   

These days it’s hard to miss the message about the importance of having books in our homes and reading to our children even before they can talk. But, with homework, busy after-school schedules and the seductiveness of all kinds of screen time, how can we keep our children reading for fun? In what ways do our own reading habits influence our kids? Who else influences our kids’ reading choices? And what are some specific books – or types of books – children are excited about right now?   Liza Baker, Executive Editorial Director in the Scholastic book publishing division, joins Marti & Erin for an information-packed discussion of survey results from the Kids & Family Reading Report (and maybe even some holiday shopping ideas!).   How interested are your children in reading for pleasure? What ideas did you get from this Mom Enough discussion about things you can do to help your kids develop or sustain a love of books? Were you surprised by any survey results from the Kids & Family Reading Report?   For the Kids & Family Reading Report, click here. For 5 Things Kids & Parents Want in Children's Books, click here. For Scholastic's holiday gift guide for birth to age 17, click here. For 10 Tips for Supporting Your Child in Reading and Writing, click here. For Book Lists for Read-Alouds and Independent Reading, click here. For tips on getting your child to read at home, click here.

Scholastic's Kids & Family Reading Report is a national survey of children ages 6–17 and their parents that explores attitudes and behaviors around books and reading. Andrea Davis Pinkney In this episode, I'm joined by author, Vice President, and Editor-at-Large at Scholastic, Andrea Davis Pinkney. We talk about what the most recent report means for us as parents-- and there's a lot for us in there! In this episode, you'll hear: why we need to build home libraries, and how to do that without breaking the bankwhat kids are really hoping they'll find in the books they readhow to make our kids readers for life (listen until the end for five 'Reading Resolutions')  Click the play button below: More free resources & booklists Get the best episodes and reources from the Read-Aloud Revival Keep an eye on your inbox! We'll keep you posted whenever we have a new podcast episode or a great free booklist or resource for you. There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again. Email Address I'd like to receive the free email course. Yes! Powered by ConvertKit /* Layout */ .ck_form.ck_minimal { /* divider image */ background: #f9f9f9; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5em; overflow: hidden; color: #666; font-size: 16px; border: solid 1px #d1d1d1; -webkit-box-shadow: none; -moz-box-shadow: none; box-shadow: none; clear: both; margin: 20px 0px; text-align: center; } .ck_form.ck_minimal h3.ck_form_title { text-align: center; margin: 0px 0px 10px; font-size: 28px; } .ck_form.ck_minimal h4 { text-align: center; font-family: 'Open Sans', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; text-transform: uppercase; font-size: 18px; font-weight: normal; padding-top: 0px; margin-top: 0px; } .ck_form.ck_minimal p { padding: 0px; } .ck_form, .ck_form * { -webkit-box-sizing: border-box; -moz-box-sizing: border-box; box-sizing: border-box; } .ck_form.ck_minimal .ck_form_fields { width: 100%; float: left; padding: 5%; } /* Form fields */ .ck_errorArea { display: none; /* temporary */ } #ck_success_msg { padding: 10px 10px 0px; border: solid 1px #ddd; background: #eee; } .ck_form.ck_minimal input[type="text"], .ck_form.ck_minimal input[type="email"] { font-size: 18px; padding: 10px 8px; width: 68%; border: 1px solid #d6d6d6; /* stroke */ -moz-border-radius: 3px; -webkit-border-radius: 3px; border-radius: 3px; /* border radius */ background-color: #fff; /* layer fill content */ margin-bottom: 5px; height: auto; float: left; margin: 0px; margin-right: 2%; height: 42px; } .ck_form input[type="text"]:focus, .ck_form input[type="email"]:focus { outline: none; border-color: #aaa; } .ck_form.ck_minimal .ck_subscribe_button { width: 100%; color: #fff; margin: 0px; padding: 11px 0px; font-size: 18px; background: #6fc171; -moz-border-radius: 3px; -webkit-border-radius: 3px; border-radius: 3px; /* border radius */ cursor: pointer; border: none; text-shadow: none; width: 30%; float: left; height: 42px; } .ck_form.ck_minimal .ck_guarantee { color: #626262; font-size: 12px; text-align: center; padding: 15px 0px 0px; display: block; clear: both; } .ck_form .ck_powered_by { display: block; color: #aaa; font-size: 12px; } .ck_form .ck_powered_by:hover { display: block; color: #444; } .ck_converted_content { display: none; padding: 5%; background: #fff; } .ck_form.ck_minimal.width400 .ck_subscribe_button, .ck_form.ck_minimal.width400 input[type="email"] { width: 100%; float: none; margin-top: 5px; } .ck_slide_up, .ck_modal, .ck_slide_up .ck_minimal, .ck_modal .

This week, we’re excited to share another short episode full of read-alouds with you! Here at Scholastic, we know that reading aloud with your child is one of the most important things you can do to, and it shouldn’t stop once they can read on their own. According to data from our recent Kids and Family Reading Report, the frequency of reading aloud drops off significantly after children turn 5, and again after they turn 8. But kids between the ages of 6 and 11 overwhelmingly reported that they still enjoy being read to! In the spirit of those findings, this week, we’re sharing five read-alouds for your 8- to 12-year-old.  Additional Resources:  More information about the Dog Man series Listen to our episode with Dav Pilkey, the creator of Captain Underpants and Dog Man More information about Beetle Boy by M. G. Leonard Listen to our episode with M. G. Leonard, the author of Beetle Boy More information about the Horizon series Listen to our episode with Scott Westerfeld, the author of Horizon More information about Refugee by Alan Gratz Listen to our episode with Alan Gratz, the author of Refugee More information about Pam Muñoz Ryan Listen to our episode with Pam Muñoz Ryan See more data around the importance of reading aloud Special Thanks: Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl Sound mix and editing by Daniel Jordan and Chris Johnson Produced by Emily Morrow

On February 16, we are celebrating the power of the read aloud with World Read Aloud Day. Every year, this global celebration calls attention to the importance of sharing stories by challenging participants to grab a book, find an audience, and read out loud. In fact, data from Scholastic's Kids & Family Reading Report shows us that reading aloud to children regularly from birth is crucial for their happiness and their development as readers. Today, we'll explore why that is and hear from four guests who have all been powerfully impacted by their memories of childhood read-alouds. Guests: Pam Allyn is a literacy expert and the founder of LitWorld, the organization behind World Read Aloud Day. She is also a co-author of Every Child a Super Reader. Ernest Morrell is an award-winning author, teacher, and researcher, and a co-author of Every Child a Super Reader. Nick Cannon is an actor, comedian, rapper, and the author of Neon Aliens Ate My Homework. Andrea Davis Pinkney is a Coretta Scott King Award-winning author and an editor at Scholastic. Additional Resources: Learn more about World Read Aloud Day Learn more about Every Child a Super Reader by Pam Allyn and Ernest Morrell Learn more about Neon Aliens Ate My Homework by Nick Cannon Learn more about A Poem for Peter by Andrea Davis Pinkney See more data around the importance of reading aloud Special Thanks: Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl Sound mix and editing by Daniel Jordan and Christopher Johnson Produced by Emily Morrow

On February 16, we are celebrating the power of the read aloud with World Read Aloud Day. Every year, this global celebration calls attention to the importance of sharing stories by challenging participants to grab a book, find an audience, and read out loud. In fact, data from Scholastic's Kids & Family Reading Report shows us that reading aloud to children regularly from birth is crucial for their happiness and their development as readers. Today, we'll explore why that is and hear from four guests who have all been powerfully impacted by their memories of childhood read-alouds. Guests: Pam Allyn is a literacy expert and the founder of LitWorld, the organization behind World Read Aloud Day. She is also a co-author of Every Child a Super Reader. Ernest Morrell is an award-winning author, teacher, and researcher, and a co-author of Every Child a Super Reader. Nick Cannon is an actor, comedian, rapper, and the author of Neon Aliens Ate My Homework. Andrea Davis Pinkney is a Coretta Scott King Award-winning author and an editor at Scholastic. Additional Resources: Learn more about World Read Aloud Day Learn more about Every Child a Super Reader by Pam Allyn and Ernest Morrell Learn more about Neon Aliens Ate My Homework by Nick Cannon Learn more about A Poem for Peter by Andrea Davis Pinkney See more data around the importance of reading aloud Special Thanks: Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl Sound mix and editing by Daniel Jordan and Christopher Johnson Produced by Emily Morrow

In the sixth edition of our Kids & Family Reading Report, we asked U.S. parents and children about their attitudes and behaviors around reading books for fun, and now the results are in! Key findings reveal what kids and parents look for in children's books, the increase in reading aloud to children from an early age, the inequities around access to books in the home, and more. View all our findings and learn more about the methodology behind the survey at scholastic.com/readingreport. Be sure to keep an eye out for forthcoming episodes diving more deeply into the topics of reading aloud and summer reading! Guests:  Kristen Harmeling is a senior vice president at YouGov, a third-party, international market research firm, and the manager of the Kids & Family Reading Report national project.  Donalyn Miller has taught 4th, 5th, and 6th grade language arts and social studies in the Fort Worth, TX, area and was a finalist for 2010 Texas Elementary Teacher of the Year. She is a reading advocate, the author of two professional books, The Book Whisperer and Reading in the Wild, and a reading ambassador for Scholastic Book Fairs. Deimosa Webber-Bey is the Library Manager at Scholastic and responsible for the corporate archive, readers advisory, cataloging, and the employee book club. She also taught for several years in public schools in Queens, Brooklyn, Albuquerque, and the Pueblo of Jemez. Special thanks: Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl Sound mix and editing by Daniel Jordan  Produced by Emily Morrow    

In the sixth edition of our Kids & Family Reading Report, we asked U.S. parents and children about their attitudes and behaviors around reading books for fun, and now the results are in! Key findings reveal what kids and parents look for in children's books, the increase in reading aloud to children from an early age, the inequities around access to books in the home, and more. View all our findings and learn more about the methodology behind the survey at scholastic.com/readingreport. Be sure to keep an eye out for forthcoming episodes diving more deeply into the topics of reading aloud and summer reading! Guests:  Kristen Harmeling is a senior vice president at YouGov, a third-party, international market research firm, and the manager of the Kids & Family Reading Report national project.  Donalyn Miller has taught 4th, 5th, and 6th grade language arts and social studies in the Fort Worth, TX, area and was a finalist for 2010 Texas Elementary Teacher of the Year. She is a reading advocate, the author of two professional books, The Book Whisperer and Reading in the Wild, and a reading ambassador for Scholastic Book Fairs. Deimosa Webber-Bey is the Library Manager at Scholastic and responsible for the corporate archive, readers advisory, cataloging, and the employee book club. She also taught for several years in public schools in Queens, Brooklyn, Albuquerque, and the Pueblo of Jemez. Special thanks: Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl Sound mix and editing by Daniel Jordan  Produced by Emily Morrow