Reading in Lockdown

Initial research by the National Literacy Trust published in July 2020 suggested that one of the side-effects of the UK Coronavirus restrictions was an unprecedented spike in reading in lockdown. 

The research found that children reported that they were enjoying reading more and were reading more in general, as well as branching out into fiction, news, and reading using screens.  

If we fast-forward to 2021, however, the narrative changes. Nielsen Books’ Understanding the Children’s Book Consumer Survey found that children and young people’s reading has decreased since the early days of lockdown last year. The research highlighted that 25% of primary schools were worried that that access to books had become a barrier to reading for pleasure, and that 40% of primary-level children were unable to take school-owned books home during the lockdown period. 

If children initially were reading more at the beginning of the shift away from in-person learning and the ban on household mixing, but subsequent lockdowns have seen a shift towards less reading activity, we need to know why.  

One of the reasons behind this is likely to be fatigue. Students and young people might simply be tired and unengaged after having to learn under adverse conditions for so long- in some countries, for almost twelve months- and activities like reading are simply falling by the wayside, perhaps due to the availability of materials, or the academic effort that they might need. 

Another cause may be that support for reading simply isn’t available, and the ongoing study initiatives pioneered by schools and libraries during the first lockdown haven’t continued into the second or third. Reading is a key part of educational progress, and having these skills become underdeveloped in a whole generation as a result of the pandemic restrictions is a sobering thought.  

That’s why events that motivate us to read are so important. 

D.E.A.R. for Dyslexia is a celebration of reading where we champion reading, and look at ways to make D.E.A.R. Time — that’s ‘Drop Everything and Read’ time — accessible for everybody, and provide you with the tools to help learners with reading difficulties like dyslexia succeed. You can get involved here!