Playful reading is the way! How can children’s reading enjoyment and play be revived?

What does this new research reveal about the state of children’s play in England?

The first report, Everything to Play For, from the Centre for Young People’s Lives (CYPL), points up a worryingly stark decline in children’s freedom to play in England over the past 15 years.

It warned that we’ve reached a crisis point. In 2025, children’s life experiences have narrowed due to increased screentime, school pressures, societal restrictions and inequalities, which can all contribute to worsening physical and mental health outcomes. Yet at the same time, a fundamental way to improve children’s all-round wellbeing is being downgraded: play.

Of course, many children do still play, and play can look vastly different according to the child and their individual needs. But time and space to do free play are no longer assured or valued by society. It’s as though we want children to grow up faster, disregarding their innate need for playful exploration, and this attitude also feeds into children’s opportunities for reading, which we’ll return to later.

‘We’ve reached a critical moment. Childhood in this country is under immense pressure – from screen time and shrinking freedoms, to rising inequity, to poor physical and mental health. Yet one of the most powerful tools we have to boost children’s physical activity, wellbeing, confidence, and creativity is being overlooked: play.’ (Paul Lindley OBE, Chair, Raising the Nation Play Commission, CYPL report, 2025)

Although the act of play may look different depending on a child’s age and developmental stage, it is vitally important for all children and young people under the age of 18.

Play is ‘how much of [their] development takes place, how they understand the world around them, learn to problem solve, build motor skills, and stay happy and healthy.’ (CYPL report, 2025)

And yet, the stats from the CYPL report are dismal:

• KS1 children now have 23 minutes less breaktime on average per day than in 1995
• Only 29% of new primary school teachers feel able to facilitate play, falling to 16% for lower-secondary school teachers
• Over 400 playgrounds closed across England from 2012 to 2022
• Park budgets in England fell by more than £350 million per year between 2011 and 2023
• 76% of parents agreed that society is generally less tolerant of children playing on the streets than when they were children

What does research say about the decline in children’s reading for pleasure in the UK?

The second report, an annual reading survey by The National Literacy Trust (NLT), shows reading for pleasure is now at its lowest level in two decades and across the whole of the UK:

• Only 1 in 3 (32.7%) children and young people aged 8 to 18 say they enjoy reading in their free time, a 36% drop since 2005
• Only 1 in 5 (18.7%) say they read daily in their free time
• The steepest decline in reading enjoyment from 2024–2025 has been among primary-aged children and boys, especially boys aged 11 to 16.
• 3 in 5 (62.6%) 5- to 8-year-olds reported enjoying reading in 2025, which, although fairly stable year-on-year, was down 2.1 percentage points from 2024

Research from publisher HarperCollins adds a further blow: not only are fewer children enjoying free reading, but parents are reading less to them too.

‘Attitudes towards reading are changing, with parents increasingly aligning their children’s reading with schoolwork rather than something fun to enjoy. This is particularly pronounced among Gen Z parents, where almost one in three (28%) see reading as “more a subject to learn”, compared to one in five (21%) of Gen X parents. As the first generation to grow up with technology, Gen Z parents may turn to digital entertainment for fun rather than books.’ (HarperCollins Publishers, HCUK Corporate, 2025)

Reading is often perceived as a difficult, solitary, teacher-driven, academic skill to master and get through, rather than a joyful, self-directed, fun option that can also be social; perhaps this puts off many children and parents before they've even tried it. It is also true, though, that parents are busier than ever before, juggling work and homelife often without the support of the extended family, which also could explain their lack of time to read.

That said, the benefits of reading for pleasure are too great to ignore. Just like with play, benefits include positive mental wellbeing, increased creativity and increased understanding of our world.

The connection between the decline in enjoying reading and playing freely

If today’s children play and read for pleasure less often than previous generations, perhaps these trends are not wholly unrelated.

With the consumption of instantly gratifying, overstimulating digital content now a routine experience for most children, reverting to reading printed books could feel like a flat, non-interactive and arduous task.

Similarly, active free play is being passed over for addictive, online, sedentary play, such as gaming within hyper-realistic virtual worlds or, more concerningly, interactions on social media via smartphones.

‘In the UK, 89% of 12-year-olds now own [a smartphone], and so do a quarter of children aged 5 to 7.’ (Smartphone Free Childhood)

Add in children’s reduced attention spans, crammed school curricula with less free time, and the decimation of public libraries and outdoor play provision (essentially public parks/playgrounds), and the problem is compounded. The causal factors for less free play and less reading for pleasure seem to overlap.

What does the UN say about children’s play and reading?

Enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of a Child, Article 31, is this legally binding virtue: ‘Every child has the right to relax, play and take part in a wide range of cultural and artistic activities.’ Arguably, reading books for pleasure falls under ‘cultural activity’ so should be viewed as a human right for all children, just like play.

It’s our duty to ensure children can play and read more often of their own volition. So how do we achieve this? Instead of treating play and reading as separate entities, what if we combined them to help solve both problems? What if we reframed reading as a playful activity?

Treating reading more playfully

To treat reading as a more playful activity, we need to reflect on the types of books currently being marketed to children, particularly within that critical 8 to 18 age range when the joy of reading seems to fade. We could start by considering what motivates children to read in the current climate. This is what the NLT stats say about children’s reading motivation in 2025:

• 3 in 10 (30.9%) were hooked into reading by an interesting book cover or title
• 1 in 4 (26.6%) valued having the freedom to choose what they read
• 2 in 5 children and young people were motivated to read when material related to a favourite film or TV series (38.1%) or matched their interests/hobbies (37.1%)

In light of these revealing figures, the children’s publishing industry should think about child-focused adjustments it could make to motivate young readers before they disengage with traditional books.

Ways publishing could make books more playful

Book design and content

Crammed publishing schedules and tight press deadlines often mean children’s middle grade adventures and YA novels tend to have a similar look and feel, with darker colours on book covers and non-memorable white or ambiguously brown protagonists. This way of presenting material may not be motivating for our diverse population of child readers.

Likewise, fantasy adventures now often extend beyond 300 or 400 pages and are designed with minimal illustrations and font sizes that are not always ideal for younger children’s readability (12pts or 14pts is generally recommended for 10- to 12-year-olds, but recently, some middle-grade books have been set at 9pts or 10pts).

‘A lot of books for my age are either far too short or way too long! I would rather read a book that’s just right! I’d say 150 pages is just right. A lot of books try to teach us a lesson too. If the book is long, I’d probably get through it but only if it’s good quality. Sometimes it’s not.’ (child, aged 10)

It’s important not to underestimate the importance of playful book designs and layouts that appeal to more children. Reading shouldn’t feel like hard work, and although this is by no means the only reason reading for pleasure declines, it may in part explain why some children aged 8 and over are no longer inclined or have the patience.

It appears publishers often produce children’s and YA novels to cater more to adult parent buyers, the argument being children want to be treated way older. This may be true, but perhaps this trend has gone too far, and they have lost sight of what children really need, which is more opportunities for fun and playful experiences in their lives, and meaningful connections with the texts they read.

This is a generalisation, of course. A great example of a children’s book that breaks this mould is the historical fiction novel Kofi and the Rap Battle Summer by Jeffrey Boakye, with its vibrant orange-and-yellow cover exuding fun, energy and originality. The book also features a distinctly well-drawn, relatable Black character from South London and is well typeset with a decent-sized, legible font and short, easy-to-read chapters, perfect for pre-teens.

Another example of great book design for 9 years plus is Tyger by SF Said, with very specific representation of a Middle Eastern immigrant child. The novel has an exquisitely imaginative cover that strikes a clever balance in feeling cool and sophisticated for older children while still feeling very playful. Although the text appears lengthy at first glance, it is heavily illustrated throughout and well-spaced in terms of layout. The story is also superbly told — needless to say, this book was many years in the making!

An example chapter book for 6- to 8-year-olds is the magical Aziza series by Lola Morayo, which is incredibly playful in its lavish use of pinks and purple spot-varnished leaf shapes that pop against the darker background. The whole book screams pick-me-off-the-shelf-and-enjoy-me-I’m-fun, with its standout, neon pink book spine.

Children are not adult readers, they are child readers who love to play, and this is well worth bearing in mind when creating reading materials for them. Here are a few more thoughts from children on how reading could be more fun and playful for them:

’I’d like more interactive books, lift the flaps and reading challenges’ (child, aged 7)

'Book trails! Read a short story and find things as you go.' (child, aged 8)

And here are some other ways publishing could listen and lean into more playful reading.

Adapt and extend what's being published

From Peppa Pig to Paw Patrol, children’s book publishing already excels at incorporating film, TV and toy brands into its book offerings for children, but the real challenge is in making the non-media-tie-in books more appealing. Here are some suggestions for starters:

• Publish less often, using the time gained to make all books visually interesting, inclusive, memorable, surprising and, most of all, shorter for young children and pre-teens
• Offer more choice by broadening the available formats for frontlist titles, for example, by:
  • reversioning the very best books as audiobooks as a matter of course
  • investing in more commissioning of graphic novels and comics suitable for 5 to 18. Comics appeal to children’s sense of play as visually, they are often a feast for the eyes, text-light and humorous, provoking fun and laughter. In the same vein, picture books should be commissioned for and marketed to all children, not just ages 3 to 5
  • making novelty books a normality for children aged 9 and under, ie books that promote playful interaction, exploration and connections, for example: choose-your-own stories; books with exciting character profiles, moving parts or mini-story props for spontaneous, imaginative story-based play (story-based play is not just for children in the early years (see the LEGO Foundation’s play research with 6 to 9 year-olds linked at the bottom of this post))

• Finally, expand our rigid definition of texts worthy of reading for pleasure (ie the literary classics), embracing all options below as valid reading experiences:

How can publishing harness and promote some of these other reading preferences? We must allow children the freedom to read precisely what resonates with them. If we relieve the pressure to conform, allowing flexibility in what texts they consume and how, children will enjoy reading way more!

'It’s fun to listen to the audiobook while reading the physical book and linking books to your interests, like geography, bridges, space...’ (child, aged 10)

Also, the digital age is here to stay, so perhaps it’s time to challenge traditional notions of what books should be, levelling up to children’s modern experiences of play. As well as audiobooks and ebooks, should publishing think of more ways to integrate digital play within books?

The LEGO Foundation has carried out fascinating research about playful reading with young children, discovering among other things, that incorporating digital cameras and toys within reading experiences makes reading less passive for children and often prompts imaginary play in the form storytelling or retelling.

Self-published author and mum of an autistic son, Pamela Aculey, runs a self-publishing company doing interesting work with inclusive mixed-media reading, where smart tablets overlaying printed picture books bring stories to life with full-colour animations and interactivity. The tech is called ‘augmented reality’ (AR).

Although this is a clear example of playful reading, we should perhaps exercise caution around the growing trend. The NLT urges that those 8- to 11-year-olds who enjoy reading for pleasure ‘still show a strong preference for physical books’, and as mentioned earlier, there are issues around children’s excessive screentime, though concerns mainly focus on social media.

Augmented reality may support some neurodivergent children who prefer screen-reading for enjoyment, relaxation, social connection and self-regulation. It could also benefit older children aged 16 to 18, where onscreen reading is even more prevalent, according to the NLT.

Let’s also integrate books within social play spaces

It’s clear from the CYPL report that the decimation of children’s play spaces needs serious attention, and tackling this issue will provide another chance for reading enjoyment and play to overlap.

What if the UK government or local authorities could fund play spaces where pleasurable reading can also be experienced? Pop-up libraries in more unusual outdoor or indoor public play spaces (think fun modes of transport in museums, such as renovated vintage buses, trains or camper vans), for example.

Or what about dedicated reading dens in public arts buildings or parks? The Story Space at the Tate Modern for under 11s and the Discover Children's Story Centre for the early years are shining examples of how play and reading can combine into one big fun experience.

Could we fund similar reading-play set-ups in every city in the UK? Aligning reading within play contexts in this way could help children shake off preconceptions of reading as a separate, difficult 'learning task' and recast it as a fun hobby they can choose to do socially while playing.

‘I like talking to a buddy about the books while you’re reading them’ (child, aged 9)

That’s just a few suggestions of possible changes to revive reading and play when considering them as one problem to be solved.

Of course, it will take seismic strategy shifts/reversals and financing, but the stats are now so depressing that action feels urgent, exactly what the CYLP and NLT are calling for separately. Just a few days ago, the NLT and the government announced 2026 as a National Year of Reading. The question is, could more joined-up thinking on play and reading help reverse this complex situation sooner?

How else can we combine play and reading?

We asked 2 experts how they think children’s play and reading enjoyment could be revived.

1. Robin Pearson, Ex-Head of Publishing at The LEGO Group

‘For many young people, books feel static, passive and disconnected from the world they live in. So, the solution isn’t to keep on trying to push reading harder or to try to carve out time from kids’ day-to-day lives to make them read something they don't enjoy. The solution has to be to rethink what a book can be.‘

2. Laura Henry-Allain MBE, Educationalist, Consultant, Producer and Storyteller

‘It is important that we understand how books can be used to support children’s play and shouldn’t be relegated to one corner while play is in another. As an author, I have seen how children use books to expand their play and develop a love of reading from doing so. Books are indeed a playful resource.’

Parents, educators, publishers and policymakers — facilitating reading opportunities that align closely with children’s innate needs and interests may go some way in helping to halt the decline in reading enjoyment.

As a society, we need to reassess how reading is presented to children in the digital age and make the necessary adjustments. Aside from reading as a skill, reading for pleasure should be promoted as an activity children can choose to do and enjoy in their own way, and of their own free will, just like play.

‘We must meet young readers where they are – emotionally, culturally and digitally – if we are to reignite a love of reading across the UK.’ (Jonathan Douglas CBE, Chief Executive of the National Literacy Trust)

Recommended reads

• Everything to Play For A Plan to Ensure Every Child in England Can Play (Centre for Young Lives)
• Children and young people's reading in 2025 (The National Literacy Trust)
• How can reading be more playful? Learning Through Play (LEGO Foundation whitepaper)

Also, browse the IBC website to find plenty of exciting, playful, inclusive books to use in your play spaces at home, school or in public settings.

Thanks to all the children and experts for their thoughtful contributions to this blog post.

Fabia Turner is Head of Content at IBC and the Founder of the Jericho Prize for Children’s Writing. She is also a former primary teacher and educational book editor with a love of children’s literature.