Children's Reading Habits Today
Hello, Creatives!
Angie here. This morning, an interesting question popped into my head as I was using Speechify to read a book to me at 2.0x speed. How have children's reading habits evolved since I was a child reader in the 1980s-90s?
Of course, we all know that they've changed significantly due to technology, but I am curious about changes in education, society, and what writers are doing to grab their attention from all of the other shiny things out there vying for it.
There are some things to consider as a writer in today's fast-paced technological world.
Digital Formats
Apps and E-books
Even the one-year-olds today have access to ipads, apps, e-books, tablets, and smartphones– all things bright, moving, and talking.
It's important as a writer to be sure your books are available in many digital formats.
Interactive Features
Well known authors are playing with animations, interactive stories, and sound effects.
Consider the senses when you are writing and what might be used as an interactive feature in your book.
Audiobooks
These are exciting times when children with different learning skills and abilities are able to read the same books with the help of audiobooks.
When you write, be sure you are reading your work out loud. I use speechify to read to me so I can hear what my characters and chapters sound like.
Do you have a good narrator voice? Or do you need to consider hiring a narrator?
Reading Help Apps and Individual Platforms
There are so many apps out there to help your kids read and many can be personalized to fit all reading levels and curiosities.
The one I use allows me to play with reading speeds. I started off at 1.0 and now have bumped up to 2.0 times a normal reading speed. As I use it more, I am finding that I am becoming a faster listener and reader because I am reading along with the app. Also, it's helped me with pronunciation—which I am terrible at when it comes to bigger words.
Reading Behaviors
Senses Matter to Kids
Visual features are appealing to kids for movies, video games, and books. They love bright illustrations, beautiful and balanced layouts, and emotionally engaging colors.
If you can engage their eyes and ears, that's a plus.
Graphic novels are becoming more and more popular not only for kids but adults. It turns out we all LOVE art, and if you can create an enticing story using words and illustrations, it's a win-win for everyone.
Attention spans are getting shorter and shorter. So, being fast-paced with your digital content will catch more young readers. Keep your chapters short and concise.
Use those hooks and crazy cliffhangers to keep kids engaged.
Classroom Trends
Diversity & STEAM
Diverse Characters, Food, Places, Music, Clothing, and Ways of Living are all interesting to the younger generations. Learning about others is a must for the future. Be sure your books are not considered outdated.
Kids are also concerned about the world they are inheriting from us. Are we doing a good job? What will we pass down to them? Maybe writing about social justice, personal identity, and the environment could help with their future.
Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics are staples to the younger kids in their education. Writing about these topics can help get your books into more hands in school. You may even get a call for a school visit, which is so much fun!
Back matter matters to teachers and parents who are homeschooling. Remember, homeschooling or alternative schooling is rising across the US. Tap into this market by including activities, experiments, open their minds questions that encourage kids to think and question the world.
Psychologically Smarter Readers
Emotional Readers
Kids are coming into the world very open, it seems. More and more children report being depressed or having anxiety. They are concerned about their mental health and wish to change the way the world is today. Empathy and compassion in your stories will go a long way with them.
Children love stories that help them understand their emotions deeper and more broadly.
Writing that thinks outside the box is needed in a world that changes daily. Highlighting resilience, personal growth, overcoming challenges, emotional intelligence, and questioning society's beliefs will help empower young readers.
The Brain
Kids are maturing more quickly due to many factors. Knowing this, as a writer, might influence how you write for kids.
Complex narratives and deeper character development are places to focus for these emotionally intelligent children.
Kids are interested in figuring things out. To keep them interested, it's a good idea to incorporate puzzles, mysteries, critical thinking, and problem-solving.
Great dialogue is also a must. Kids have grown up in a fast-paced world where they are allowed only a few sentences on social media to express themselves. Long descriptions tend to lose these quick readers.
Wow! A lot has changed in my lifetime of reading. I've noticed a change in my reading habits,too. I am more easily bored than I used to be when it comes to reading books, and my patience has decreased. This is happening to us all as technology trains us to read faster and say things quicker with less emotion.
And as the new AI versions of writing and reading become more available, we will all change again. Children are typically quicker to accept changes as they do not fight or fear change like adults tend to. My teen son said, "Mom, this is our normal. It's always been like this for us." (I was whining about AI and the price of books.)
So, what can you do as a writer in this new world? Stay open. Invite change into your world and your writing. Read up on trends and what's happening in the reader's world. Try something new. Get involved.
If you look at change like your readers do and get curious and playful with it all, your writing will improve for these kids. Good Luck!
You can do this!
Have fun with change.
Write~on,
Angie
(Note: All photos are stock photos except ones with me in them.)
