Is a bedtime story part of your routine?
A survey reveals that one in five Irish parents don’t read to their children.
The study was commissioned by Irish bookseller Eason’s as part of their Get into Reading campaign.
Child psychotherapist Dr John Sharry commented on the findings of the survey.
“Establishing a daily reading time with your children is the single most important ritual, benefiting not only their learning and communication but also creating an important connection between you.
“Bedtime reading not only provides all the educational benefits of reading, but also is an important ritual in gaining a good night’s sleep and usually a special moment of connection between parent and child,” he said.
The study revealed that nearly half of parents ‘pass the buck’ to their partner when it comes to reading with children and that 42 per cent of men are guilty of doing this.
Eason’s revealed that half of parents with children under the age of eight are upset about not reading to their children enough.
There is some good news on the reading front – a 2014 study in the UK found that the number of parents who read to their children doubled in a generation.
Up to 70 per cent of parents read to their child at least five times a week, according to the study, compared with 35 per cent of parents a generation ago, reports the Daily Mail.
Author Cathy Kelly said that it is difficult for parents to find the time to read to children.
“It’s hard to find time to read to your children. At nighttime, I’m often shattered, want to throw myself into bed and am not in the mood for another chapter of the wonderful Harry Potter.
“But I do it and I can see the enormous difference reading has meant to my sons in terms of learning.”
Interestingly, children who read or are read to for four hours a week are 30 per cent more likely to read as an adult.
Additionally, it’s been discovered that children’s books contain substantially more unique words than ordinary parent-child conversation, which suggests that reading could have a real impact on a child’s vocabulary.
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