What do kids love most? Their parents reading to them.
Last weekend The Vancouver Sun newspaper published an interesting article entitled “What do kids love most? Their parents reading to them.” Nick Vinocur reported on the results from a recent study that surveyed 500 children aged three to eight in Britain and found that half of the children said story time was their favorite pastime with their parents! Almost two-thirds of the children polled said they wanted their parents to spend more time reading to them before bed and 82% said reading a story with their parents helped them to sleep better. Storytelling ranked higher than television or video game amongst pastimes for kids and the best storytellers, according to the children surveyed, were mothers who used funny voices to illustrate different characters or made their own special sound effects to keep the story moving.
Child psychologist Richard Woolfson led the study and says:
The results of our research confirm the traditional activity of storytelling continues to be a powerful learning and emotional resource in children’s lives. It can be very difficult for parents to find the time to read with their children, but these moments can help build strong bond and play a vital part in their child’s development.
Click here to read the entire article.
I had to include the photo of my husband reading to our son Evan as it is one of my favorites and I still find it hard to believe that my first-born is now 12 years old. How time flies! Such fond memories…
Speaking of photos, don’t forget to submit a photo of your child’s bookshelf for our Around the World in 100 Bookshelves project. You will be automatically entered in a drawing to win a selection of 5 age-appropriate books to add to your little one’s bookshelf! See the sidebar for more details.
May 30th, 2009 at 3:00 am
I didn’t realise the full import of the photograph until I clicked on the thumbnail – even more gorgeous!
The results of this survey are great – my two still want a story every night, even in the holidays when they go to bed late. I’ve now realised that actually they go to sleep more quickly if they have their ten minutes of bedtime story – but I do have to put my foot down at an extra chapter…!
June 16th, 2009 at 12:26 am
The gift of reading is priceless. My mother learned to read when she was 3 (and was reading books on her own like Jane Eyre by 5!) and she passed that love of the written word to us, both through reading to us and teaching how to read for ourselves. I know my life has been greatly enriched by her efforts. I can only hope more parents see the benefits and will carry on the tradition. (I never had children, but I do my part with my online bookstore to keep the words flowing…) Great article. Thanks!