Empowering Parents to Encourage Children to Read Beyond the Early Years

Enjoyment of reading books is related to reading proficiency, and fostering students' enjoyment of reading is imperative to support continued reading engagement. However, not all students understand that reading is important, and not all students are regularly engaged in recreational reading. Children typically read for pleasure less often as they age, leading researchers to seek effective ways that social influences can support them to be lifelong readers beyond the early years. Parents can play an important role in communicating the continued importance of reading and fostering positive attitudes toward reading. However, after independent reading skill acquisition, parents may become a less potent encouraging and supportive force. The authors explore older students' experiences of both independent and shared reading and their perception of parental support, involvement, and modeling to highlight potential roles that parental figures can play in reading beyond the early years.