Audiobooks, comics and magazines count as reading, too. Why experts say 'kids need to be in charge of their reading life.'

Reading is an essential skill for children’s success. According to national literacy consultant and author Kathryn Starke, it's "the one subject that is needed to be successful in every other subject,” so getting children excited about reading from a young age is what “makes the greatest impact in their learning success.”

But while some children struggle with learning how to read, others don’t have any problems with the actual mechanics; they just don’t like to read traditional books. Some of these children turn to graphic novels, audiobooks, fan fiction or comics. Parents may panic and wonder if these mediums “count” as reading — but are those concerns misguided?

Jordan Lloyd Bookey, a former language arts teacher, previous head of Google's K-12 Education Outreach and co-founder of the reading platform Beanstack, thinks that parents of children who don’t enjoy reading traditional books should calm down and “not judge what their children are reading” if they want to ensure that their children develop a lifelong reading habit.

According to Bookey, any medium that promotes a positive relationship with reading is a good thing. Once children develop a love of reading, even if that love develops through comic books, parents should “assume over time that their love of reading will grow … and blossom into other types of reading," she says.

Bookey shares that she sometimes sees parents treat graphic novels and comic books “like pornography” because as children get older, parents feel ashamed that their children aren’t reading chapter books. However, she thinks that these parents need to “let go of their pride” and focus on encouraging their child to read for enjoyment, no matter what that looks like.

“Kids that read for fun wind up with better test scores and better income and job trajectories,” Bookey says, noting that her own daughter went through a phase in which she was an avid reader of online fan fiction. “Kids need to be in charge of their reading life,” she says, adding that children will never develop a love of reading if parents force only a certain type of reading “down their throats.”

Graphic novels

Reluctant readers often turn to graphic novels because pictures and shorter passages make them “so accessible,” according to Bookey. Starke likes graphic novels because they “hook students, which is great, and they can help students develop their decoding, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension skills.”

Because graphic novels are rich with images, they are a great bridge from picture books to chapter books. Bookey also emphasizes that many graphic novels have high Lexile reading levels, — the method used to determine a student reader's ability — so they are often more complex than parents realize, and many are designed for a teen audience.

Bookey, who also hosts a podcast about reading culture, notes that authors don’t view graphic novels as “less than” chapter books. In fact, she says, some graphic novels may be better at telling stories than traditional novels because they “can help communicate something different and add different dimensions to stories,” she says. Rather than fearing that their children aren’t really reading if they gravitate toward graphic novels, Bookey thinks parents should reframe their thinking and accept graphic novels as “just another format,” she says.

Starke agrees. “Graphic novels 'count' as reading because the children are still reading the words on each page to comprehend the story,” she says.

Audiobooks

Bookey thinks there are a lot of benefits to audiobooks. When children listen to audiobooks they are building skills and “gaining all the benefits of hearing a story,” she says, noting that parents reading aloud to children is the “original audiobook.”

When listening to audiobooks, children strengthen comprehension skills and increase vocabulary. Bookey also says that children listening in are “building curiosity” and creating a story in their “mind’s eye.” Starke adds that audiobooks “help develop fluency by listening to great readers.”

However, it may take some effort to ensure children gain these benefits. Bookey recommends ensuring that children are paying attention to the audiobook and not dividing their attention with something engrossing, like a video game. Instead, she suggests that children listen to audiobooks in the car, in their bedroom for “quiet time,” or while engaged in a quiet activity such as drawing.

Reading specialist and ELA teacher Taylor Beale explains that “using a text with an audiobook can help students retain so much more information and can also work to develop their vocabulary. Some children are auditory learners — meaning when they hear something, they are much more apt to retain it better," she says. "Add this auditory version of the book to a printed copy that your child can follow along with, and they will be recognizing words they've heard but not spelled or read before in no time.”

Bookey notes that reading text does offer some benefits to children not available through audiobooks, and suggests that children who prefer audiobooks use them in addition to other types of reading.

Reading aloud to children

Although parents often stop reading to their children in the early elementary school years, Bookey thinks that reading a book to an older child still “counts” as reading, noting that not only do children get many of the benefits of reading but reading together as a family can help instill a love of reading. Learning specialist Rebecca Mannis recommends reading aloud to a child “about information that is interesting to him" Next, parents should "try to engage him in conversation about this," which she explains, is "another way to help kids ‘live language,’” she says. Reading together is also a great way for parents to model their own love of reading.

Magazines, fan fiction, comic books and other mediums

Beale says “pretty much everything, regardless of how 'professional' the publication is, [helps] your child to hone the same type of skills.” According to Starke, “any text in which a child is actually decoding the words on a page and comprehending the material" should be considered reading. This includes online articles, eBooks, magazines, newspapers, children's picture books, blogs and even comic books and fan fiction.

Mannis suggests looking for publications "that tap into particular interests, like Sports Illustrated Kids or National Geographic Kids. This, she says, helps "engage kids in literacy around high interest content and short articles that are often accompanied by engaging photographs.” She also thinks podcasts are "great ways to take in content that is language-rich.” Riddles and Mad Libs are other ways “to give kids a chance to grow their reading in fun, brief spurts,” Mannis adds.

Guiding children to other forms of reading

According to Bookey, almost all children will be required to read chapter books and novels in school at some point, so parents don’t need to worry about their children going through life without ever reading a book.

However, there are some steps parents can take to encourage children to try other mediums. Bookey recommends taking children to a library or bookstore and letting them explore; most children will eventually find something they enjoy. Beale also likes this approach, and says that parents should make this a very big deal, read the book with their child and ask questions about the book throughout the day.

Another way to encourage children to read in a different format is to ask questions about what they like about what they are currently reading. If they like a graphic novel that has dragons, scary parts or talks about history, parents may be able to steer them to a chapter book or novel with the same elements. Starke thinks it’s important to find reading material that fits a child’s interest, then matching that with the child’s instructional reading level, which their teacher can provide.

Starke also recommends that parents model good reading habits because “a lot of good is taking place” when children see parents enjoying reading.

Beale recommends finding ways “to incorporate reading that aren't attached to work and let them choose. Help them understand that reading does not always have to equal hard work,” she suggests. For example, if a movie is coming out that is based on a book, Beale suggests reading the book, then seeing the movie as a reward. Mannis, meanwhile, suggests finding “‘low-risk’ reading experiences, such as reading some Shel Silverstein poems to the family dog.

Although parents are sometimes laser-focused on getting their children to read “real” books or a certain genre that they value, Beale suggests changing that mindset. “What if we really did just allow [children] to read for enjoyment?” she says. “What if we didn't dictate what they read? … Perhaps if we stop forcing our choices and beliefs on them, they will pick up a book for fun at last!”

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