The interest of children in science, of course, should be supported by all means, this is well known. Even during the Soviet Union, one of the most important factors in the professional orientation of schoolchildren was popular science literature. Books, which in an accessible and interesting language tell of, say, nuclear physics, have led many young people to the engineering universities of our country. Today, measures are being taken to revive the interest of students in the literature of this genre. Despite the temporary decline in interest in this kind of literature, the prospects for the development of the genre in our country certainly exist.
Why have modern children become less interested in popular science literature?
Compared with previous generations, students today do not show much interest in books, popular scientific literature is no exception. Such a decrease in interest is due to the fact that today there is a huge number of alternative sources of information that are more addictive to children than a book. It is much easier and faster to find out what interests us from a television program or the Internet than to go to the library in search of a suitable book.
Another factor that cannot be ignored is, in fact, the lack of authors who can really interest a child, because popular science children's literature is a rather difficult genre. Writing for children is always difficult, because you need not only to convey information to the young reader, but also to keep his attention and carry him into the world of books. To date, there is only a limited number of authors worthy of attention. If the 70s of the last century can be safely called the heyday, the time of the abundance of talented authors, then the 80s are already characterized by a significant decline, in the 90s it was hardly possible to find a publishing house of popular science literature. Poor-quality works, which were periodically published, did not arouse intense interest either among children or among their parents, which inevitably led to the fact that the genre of popular science children's literature was gradually given to oblivion.
Role in general education
Many believe that the literature of this genre can only serve to expand the general content of subjects taught in schools, but this is not so. In addition to expanding the horizons of the child, which in itself is an extremely important task, there is another, no less important goal - motivation. Popular science literature for children helps to arouse genuine interest in the world that surrounds us, to take a different look at seemingly boring school subjects. It is extremely important not only the scientific, but also the biographical component. It is useful for students to learn about how a pioneering scientist grows out of a simple child. It is very important to have an example of how a person achieves success through knowledge. Popular science literature is full of such examples. Thus, we motivate the child to learn, to strive for knowledge of the world in order to achieve lofty goals.
How to develop a child’s desire to read?
Of course, in modern conditions it is extremely difficult to interest a child in a book, much less a scientific one. Many parents find it impossible to ever see their own child reading, and not at the computer. Of course, not every child can be carried away by literature, but a capable schoolchild is quite realistic if the joint efforts of parents and teachers are applied. The task of the teacher, in fact, is to notice the child’s incipient interest in a particular discipline in time and tell him what popular scientific literature exists on this subject. Parents, in turn, should strongly encourage the interest of the student. Do not forget to be interested in his successes, more often communicate on topics that he is fond of. Do not force to read such literature by force. It is necessary to try to convince the child that it is interesting and necessary, then he will have a desire to pick up a book.
Prospects for the development of this genre in Russia
Fortunately, recently there has been a steady increase in the attention of publishers to this genre. Popular science literature is slowly but surely reborn. For example, the modern publishing house Enlightenment since 2007 has been publishing a series of children's cognitive books called Your Horizon, from which you can learn a lot of new things, for example, read about the outstanding women of Ancient Russia, about how a person knew electricity, and much more friend. One more series of books called “On the Edge of the World” cannot be overlooked. It is suitable for those who are fond of history. The series tells about the development of relations between Russia and Germany, Russia and Japan, France, as well as other countries with which our state fought. There are other series, for example, popular scientific literature about nature is in demand today.
A selection of literature for children
Children's book club "Chitarium" offers children and their parents their own selection of works that deserve attention. The books listed below are aimed at children from six to nine years old. If you decide to interest your child in reading and at the same time want this reading to be as useful as possible for the development of his horizons, popular science literature will suit you.
So, we present to your attention the five most interesting books from the point of view of the Chitarium on various topics, choose what your child likes best. Each young reader is individual, therefore, it is necessary to take into account the tastes of each in order to really interest the student, and not make him read something that is not at all interesting to him. Children will be happy to explore and study what they like, what they themselves have chosen. It is very important to give them the opportunity to choose, it is not necessary to decide for the child what they are interested in. Do not try to fill your own knowledge gaps with your children.
“Cool mechanics for the curious” (author - Nick Arnold)
The book describes in an interesting, and most importantly accessible, language the basic principles of operation of the simplest mechanisms and machines. It not only explains how this or that mechanism works, but also gives examples of their use in life. Following the instructions in the publication, the child can independently construct models from the details.
“Why is the water wet?” (Gemma Harris)
Here you can find the answer to almost any children's question. Scientists of various fields of knowledge answer the most frequently asked questions by schoolchildren. The book can be read from the beginning, from the end or from the middle, or simply search for something of interest using the subject index.
Secrets of Anatomy (Carol Donner)
The book describes the incredible adventures of the twins Max and Molly, who, having become tiny, were inside the giant's body. Reading a book, a child, along with her characters, explores the human body. The author was extremely successful in turning a boring story about the structure of our body into an entertaining adventure.
"Children's Encyclopedias with Chevostik" (Elena Kachur)
The hero already known to all from the audio performances - Chevostik - now goes into the book genre called "popular scientific literature." The main characters go on exciting journeys, during which they learn the world. Of course, this is much more interesting than listening to or reading boring listings of scientific facts.
Cosmos (Kostyukov, Surova)
The name of the publication already speaks for itself. The book is a joint project that tells about everything related to space and its secrets. Scientific and popular science literature about endless space, so far from us, has always attracted children of all ages.