Students who read for fun read better
Across 99 studies, children and students who read more in their free time tended to have stronger reading, language, and spelling skills.
Children and students who read more in their free time tended to have stronger reading, language, and spelling skills.
The study
This meta-analysis combined 99 studies of leisure reading, from preschoolers to university students. Across all of them, more reading for pleasure was moderately to strongly linked with reading comprehension and with technical reading and spelling. The link grew stronger with age. The authors describe an upward spiral, with better readers reading more and more reading building their skills further.
Starting small
Reading for pleasure counts, whatever the book. A regular slot, like ten minutes before bed, is a simple way to make room for it.