A recent study has discovered that most children prefer to read adventure books compared to other genres. The genre is a go to for 52%, followed by fantasy at 39% and mystery at 38% – and there’s a huge benefit to it.
According to the study two thirds of kids said reading an adventure book makes them want to be more adventurous. For this reason, nearly half of the parents said they encourage their youngsters to read more within the genre to get them outside.
Favourite locations for children to read about were beaches (40%), islands (37%) and the woods (36%). And half of those surveyed have even made visits to locations that inspired their favourite adventures. These include Forest of Dean, from Harry Potter and Ashdown Forest, which inspired Winnie-the-Pooh.
“Books open young minds to new experiences encouraging them to push boundaries” said Michelle Evans, a spokesperson for PGL.
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She added that books can create a desire in children to try things and as a result this can improve their confidence and self-assurance along the way. This sentiment was also echoed by Helen Dodd, Professor of Child Psychology at Exeter Medical School.
“Reading plays a crucial role in fostering curiosity and creativity,” she said. “Books introduce children to new ideas and concepts, expanding their world beyond what they already know.
“This not only sparks their imagination, but also encourages them to approach the world with a sense of wonder and exploration.”
Over two thirds of kids usually read or listen to someone reading to them at bedtime, while 40% enjoy opening a book at school. More than a third like to read to themselves, compared to 21% who prefer when their parents read aloud to them.
How many of these children’s books do you recognise?
More than half of parents said they have kept books to pass down to their own children as they have happy memories of reading them when they were younger too.
Winnie-the-Pooh, Treasure Island and The Jungle Book, were listed as the most popular books parents gave to their children.
Professor Helen added: “Providing children with opportunities for adventure where they can step outside of their comfort zones helps them learn to recognise and cope with feelings associated with anxiety, such as the sensation of “butterflies” in the stomach.
“If children can experiment with different ways of coping with these feelings in a safe, fun environment, they can build resilience over time. It also strengthens relationships when done with others, fostering a sense of connection and shared experience.”
TOP 30 ADVENTURE BOOKS THAT INSPIRE CHILDREN TO GO OUTDOORS:
- Winnie-the-Pooh – A.A. Milne
- We’re Going on a Bear Hunt – Michael Rosen
- Treasure Island Robert – Louis Stevenson
- The Gruffalo – Julia Donaldson
- The Secret Garden – Frances Hodgson Burnett
- The Famous Five – Enid Blyton
- Look What I Found in the Woods – Moira Butterfield and Jesus Verona
- The Adventures of Robin Hood – Roger Lancelyn Green
- The Jungle Book – Rudyard Kipling
- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – C.S. Lewis
- Frankie’s Magic Football Series – Frank Lampard
- Where the Wild Things Are – Maurice Sendak
- The Explorer – Katherine Rundell
- Running Wild – Michael Morpurgo
- The Last Bear – Hannah Gold
- Fantastic Mr Fox – Roald Dahl
- Peter Pan – J. M Barrie
- Harley Hitch and the Iron Forest – Vashti Hardy (Author) and George Ermos (Illustrator)
- Wild Child: A Journey Through Nature – Dara McAnulty
- The Ice Monster – David Walliams
- The Railway Children – Edith Nesbit
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – JK Rowling
- The Faraway Tree – Enid Blyton
- Swallows and Amazons – Arthur Ransome
- The Hobbit – J.R.R Tolkien
- Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame
- The Sky Beneath the Stone – Alex Mullarky
- Gulliver’s Travels – Jonathan Swift
- The Boy Who Met a Whale – Nizrana Farook
- Sabotage on the Solar Express – M.G. Leonard (Author), Sam Sedgman (Author) and Elisa Paganelli (Illustrator)
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