So providing a reading environment as I started last week is not as onerous or expensive as the title suggests. Looking back on personal experience a positive environment begins, not with piles of comics, magazines, newspapers and books, but by seeing people read. One of my childhood memories of my dad was him reading a newspaper avidly. He would read every word. Mum read magazines, the newspaper, books and knitting patterns, she also loved crosswords which were printed in the newspaper. The bottom line was that two busy people always managed some time every day to read.
In some respects, leaving reading to schools is leaving it too late. The desire to read very much depends on the value placed on reading from the earliest age and it can't just be reading bedtimes stories which is enjoyable but passive. Seeing ones parents and siblings reading, automatically raises the value of the activity.
Schools have employed such tactics in trying to help children improve their reading. There was a scheme in the 1980's that included everyone reading in class, teachers included, and the reintroduction of having classes being read to as is the practise for younger pupils.
Hopefully, creating a reading environment will encourage independent reading. Many people can be seen gazing at screens which obviously involves reading but if ones reading hasn't gone far past decoding then comprehension may be sketchy whereas focusing on a longer piece that requires the reader to interact with the text to establish meaningful understanding is more useful.
The skill of reading develops throughout your life and to obtain the greatest benefit then time and variety of material needs to be a target.
God Bless
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