Bedtime stories remain popular in UK, poll of parents finds

Parents often opt for the same book when reading bedtime stories

In total, 82 per cent of adults say they read to their children under 10 regularly (Getty Images)

The bedtime story is alive and well with parents reading to their children four times a week – often picking up the same book so frequently they can recite every word.

A poll of 1,000 parents of children aged 0 to 10 found 82 per cent read to their little ones on a regular basis, with 20 per cent of these doing so at least once a day.

And many employ a host of storytelling techniques to capture the imagination of their little ones. These include using sound effects, dimming the lights, and even embellishing or tweaking the story.

The survey was commissioned by McDonald’s to highlight its free book tokens giveaway with Happy Meals for World Book Day - a campaign backed by Joe Swash.

The poll found 57 per cent know every word of some stories.

Chloe Bissell, Head of Marketing – Family, Brand & Affinity, said: “Story time is such a familiar and integral part of growing up - for many of us, our memories of being read to by loved ones are likely to be among our most treasured.

“It’s a wonderful way to introduce children to the magical world of literature – and create new memories which will live with them forever.

“We are so proud to partner with the National Literacy Trust and World Book Day to ensure more families than ever before can share a story together.”

To really amp up story time, 26 per cent of parents who read to their kids will use sound effects, while 16 per cent will play suitable background music to create the right mood.

A few will go to town by dressing up in costumes and others will use puppets to bring the tale to life.

Many revealed techniques such as these help them feel more confident when reading to their children.

On average, those polled said the most-read story they’ve told their kids has been told a total of 40 times.

Having read specific tales so many times, 33 per cent admitted they have attempted to skip over bits of the book.

But this strategy is rarely successful - 90 per cent of those who’ve tried this revealed their children tend to notice and call them out for it.

Carried out through OnePoll, the study found 61 per cent of those who do voices when reading to their kids believe this aspect of storytelling to be what their children like most about story time.

But opinion is split over who their kids think does the best voices – with 42 per cent of the view they’d say dad is, while 40 per cent think they’d say mum is.

SWNS