Parents missing the opportunity to read to children is affecting their performance in school
A new report by the Literacy Trust shows just how much we are failing to read to our children. Once upon a time stories that inspire children on the road to literacy. The encouragement parents can give to encourage to children to read and improve their literacy skills is immense. And it starts with reading bedtime stories.
Jonathan Douglas, Director of the National Literacy Trust said “Children who read above the expected level for their age are more likely to have books of their own; 80 per cent of high-achievers have books of their own, while only 58 per cent who read below their expected level do so. Children who aren’t encouraged to read by their mother are three times more likely to say “reading is boring” than those who are encouraged to read a lot. And children are twice as likely to read outside of class if they are encouraged to read by their mother or father.”
Research has repeatedly shown that the most accurate predictor of a pupil’s achievement is not parental income or social status but the extent to which parents create a home environment that encourages learning. The literacy trust survey shows that two in 10 young people don’t get any encouragement to read at all from their mother and four in 10 don’t get support from their father. A significant number of parents are either unconvinced of the benefits of supporting their child’s literacy, don’t prioritise it or don’t have the skills to do so.
The National Literacy Trust is determined to increase opportunities for parents to support their children’s reading. This month they have launched their Tell Me A Story campaign to raise awareness of the importance of family literacy.
One in six children in the UK grows up unable to read or write to a minimum standard. Literacy is not simply an issue for developing nations it is also the UK’s most pressing educational challenge.
Dads fail to read bedtime stories
Bedtime stories are being abandoned
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Tags: Education