New Research Shows Most Parents Don’t Like Reading To Their Kids
Seems like the majority of younger parents are on the same page when it comes to reading to their kids; thanks but no thanks.
A new study co-authored by Nielsen and book publisher HarperCollins UK found that out of the almost 2,000 parents surveyed, only 40 percent of parents with children aged 0 to 13 agreed that “reading books to my child is fun for me.” And this pastime is declining with time; these days, just 41 percent of 0- to four-year-olds are being read to frequently, down from 64 percent in 2012.
A few more stats to note:
Gen Z parents are more likely than millennial or Gen X parents to say that children’s reading is “more a subject to learn than a fun thing to do,” likely because they grew up with screens and smartphones themselves
Boys are being read to less often than their female peers; 29 percent of 0- to four-year-old boys are being read to every day or nearly every day compared with 44 percent of girls of the same age.
Some parents stop reading to their kids once they can read themselves, assuming their child would be bored if they’re not the one doing the reading
As for the kids themselves? Only 32 percent of elementary schoolers frequently choose to read for enjoyment, down from 55 percent in 2012.
Despite these semi-depressing numbers, 44 percent of parents agree that reading to their child is a good bonding activity. According to Child Mind Institute, reading to our children has benefits beyond that parent/child bond, including:
Helping to build language skills and vocabulary
Introducing kids to empathy and big feelings, as well as other people’s experiences
Familiarizing kids with the sensory experience of snuggling up to a grown-up and feeling the pages of a book
To be honest, my husband and I are not big readers, but we still try to instill in our first-grader who’s been reading real books for only a few months that reading is important. He has a homework assignment of 15 mandatory minutes a night, and at least one book at bedtime is a must, whether he’s reading them to us or vice-versa. We also take him regularly to borrow new books from the library, which gives him a choice in the books he reads.
In parents’ defense, some of them say they simply don’t have the time to sit down and enjoy a few pages with their sons or daughters; more than a third of parents surveyed wish they had more time, in fact. Plus, kids’ leisure time after school is limited these days too; why do they get so much homework?
To read the full study and its implications, check it out at harpercollins.co/uk.
Do you make it a habit to read to or with your kids regularly?
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