Reading Is Fundamental

Do you remember who sparked your love for reading? My journey began with my parents reading me a Flintstones children’s book based on my favorite Saturday morning cartoons. In school, the Scholastic Book Club flyer felt like Christmas every month. Though they were on a budget, my parents always allowed me to pick three books. I devoured stories about Indy 500 racer A.J. Foyt and anything related to the great outdoors.

However, my passion for reading really ignited during my sixth-grade homeroom period. Mrs. Jones introduced us to The Great Brain by Dennis Fitzgerald. I was captivated by the story of Tom, a clever boy who outsmarted everyone with his “great brain.” By the end of the book, I was hooked determined to read the entire series and imiate Tom’s creativity. That one novel unlocked a lifelong love of reading and helped to shape who I am today.

I grew up before video games existed and TV shows for kids were limited to Saturday mornings. After a few hours, my parents gave the standard command, “Turn off that TV and get outside and play.” Today, screens threaten to dominate our children’s lives and one of the most significant losses is a love for reading. “In 2012, 38% of 0-17’s read every day or nearly every day for pleasure; by 2021, just 25% of children read for pleasure. Over the same period, children who said they “never read” has grown from 13% to 20%, so one in five children aged 0-17—nearly 3 million children—did not read for pleasure at all in 2021.” That concerns me as a parent—I wonder how children will fare without the creativity and love for learning that comes from reading. But as a pastor, I also wonder that if that many children are not reading for pleasure, does that mean that far fewer will open up their Bibles to read from God’s Word?

Reading is the doorway through which children access God. If we want our children to become the person described in Psalm One who delights in the law of the Lord and meditates upon it day and night, we need to give them a love for reading. If a generation of children don’t have a passion for reading, it’s unlikely they will open their Bible. Keep the Bible closed, and we lose the transformative power of the Scriptures in the lives of our children.

Consider how the writer of the book of Hebrews describes the power of God’s Word: “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” (Hebrews 4:12–13). Don’t we all want our children to be transformed by the Holy Spirit through the Scriptures? While our children are exposed to the Word of God through preaching and teaching, the public ministry of the Word is meant to supplement our time in the Scriptures.

When life’s trials crash in, we want a well-worn pathway to lead our children to the comfort of the God’s Word. However, they have a formidable obstacle to overcome if they “hate” reading.

So what should a parent do in a culture where screens entice our children away from books? It is time to take a lesson from a former generation’s playbook and take time out of our lives to read to our kids. Most kids will do anything to avoid bedtime, so that’s a great time to read them a story. We must also say, “Turn off the screens, get outside, and play.” The following are a few additional tips to help your children develop a love for reading.

• As parents, we should set a good example. We need to put our screens down and read. Consider having a family reading time that you do every week or even every day.

• Be aware of how much you use screens to babysit your kids. It is easy to put on a screen rather than read your children a book. Try this: keep a running log. Divide a notebook page into two columns. Above the left column, write “Reading log.” Above the right column, write “Screen log.” Every time you give your children permission to use their screen, write what they did and for how long under the Screen Log. It will help you visualize the problem when you see “Super Mario Kart” seven times in a row, with nothing to show on the reading log side of the ledger.

• Set aside one screen-free evening per week—no TV, no screens, period. Choose an exciting book and spend a half hour reading to your children.

• Limit your children’s weekend screen time to an hour per day. When that is over, tell them to get outside and play.

• Build your home library and fill your shelves. Ask friends to recommend books.

• Read the book before you see the movie. Use going to the movie as a reward for reading the book. Your kids may end up saying the book was better!

• Begin and maintain a practice of regular family devotions. Read God’s Word together. You only need ten minutes a day.

• Share what you are learning from your personal devotions with your children. When the Spirit of God convicts you or encourages you from your personal time in God’s Word, tell your children about it.

• Read a book together on vacation.

•  Listen to audiobooks in the car for longer drives instead of watching a movie.  

When I was a kid watching my Saturday morning cartoons, I remember a commercial airing with the slogan “Reading is fundamental.” The message by the organization of the same name understood the danger of losing reading to screens. Today, we battle more than Saturday morning cartoons, and our children’s love for reading is under more significant attack. Let’s keep reading central in our homes and preserve the doorway through which our children will access God’s Word. Indeed, reading is fundamental.

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