Young children losing the habit of reading with their parents
27/09/2007
Children of primary school age spend more time on their own or playing with friends than they do in the company of their parents, according to research published today in the Independent.
A survey of more than 1,800 parents revealed that children spend more time reading on their own than they do reading with their parents. The survey, commissioned by Booktime, a programme set up to encourage parents to spend more time reading aloud to their children, paints a picture of a "loner" generation which spends more time in front of a television set than on any other activity.
The research coincides with the launch by Booktime – set up through a partnership between the education publishing company Pearson and the independent charity Booktrust – under which every five-year-old will receive a free copy of a book upon arrival at reception class.
The book is Funnybones by Allan Ahlberg, who has waived all royalties on the book for the scheme. Only 7 days, 9 hours and 40 minutes will be spent reading with an adult. In most cases, it is the mother who takes the lead in reading to her children – with 73 per cent of youngsters saying she was the main reader in the family compared with just 16 per cent who said their fathers took the lead role.
Independent, 26 September 2007 http://news.independent.co.uk/education/education_news/article2998920.ece
