Half of parents do not read to their young children every day – survey

Fewer families are engaging in daily activities which support early language development compared with five years ago, a charity says.

A survey of around 2,000 UK parents of children aged 0-5 found only 50.5% said they had read with their young child at least once a day in the past week (Alamy/PA)

Half of parents do not read to their pre-school children every day, a survey has suggested.

Fewer parents are engaging in daily activities which are known to support early language development in children since the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a report by the National Literacy Trust (NLT).

A survey of around 2,000 UK parents of children aged 0-5 found only half (50.5%) said they had read with their young child at least once a day in the past week, while 56.0% said they had played with their child daily.

Given the importance of the home learning environment on improving outcomes for children, our findings call for urgent and considered action

Jonathan Douglas, chief executive of the NLT

The poll, carried out by Survation in June and July, also found that 78.1% said they had chatted with their young child at least once a day in the past week.

The number of parents engaging in home learning activities with their young children daily has decreased over the past five years, the research found.

A previous survey for the charity of 2,000 parents of pre-school children in 2019 found that two in three (66.1%) said they read daily with their child, while 76.2% said they played with their child daily.

Nine in 10 (90.3%) parents said they chatted daily with their child in 2019, according to the report.

The charity has suggested that the Covid-19 pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis and cuts to funding for early intervention services are likely to have played a significant role in the decline.

The NLT is calling for “urgent and considered action” as it has said the home learning environment is vital for improving outcomes for young children.

The charity’s five-year Early Words Matter campaign aims to support 250,000 pre-school children with early literacy, language and communication skills in some of the most disadvantaged areas across the UK.

Jonathan Douglas, chief executive of the NLT, said: “A child’s early grasp on language and first steps to build communication skills will set them up for life.

By working together to close the UK’s literacy gap, we can give more children and young people from disadvantaged communities the tools they need to thrive

Tracy Jackson, head of early years at the NLT

“We know parents want to give their children the best possible start in life, but the socioeconomic events of the past five years and limited local support for parents to build awareness and learn new skills around early literacy development have contributed to a climate in which parents have limited finance, time and energy for engaging in home learning activities.

“Given the importance of the home learning environment on improving outcomes for children, our findings call for urgent and considered action.”

Tracy Jackson, head of early years at the NLT, said: “Parents are under enormous amounts of pressure, and we want parents to have access to relevant support and resources without any increased burden on their time and finances.”

She added: “By working together to close the UK’s literacy gap, we can give more children and young people from disadvantaged communities the tools they need to thrive, empowering our future workforce and driving a more equal society through literacy.”

James Bowen, assistant general secretary at school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “One of the most important things a parent can do to support their child’s education is to read with them at home.

“An early love for books and reading can have a huge long-term impact. It is therefore concerning to see suggestions that parents are reading to their children less frequently than previously.

“There are undoubtedly huge pressures on families currently and cuts to community services and local libraries certainly have not helped either.

“We should be doing everything we can to encourage parents to read with their children as often as possible – just five minutes a day can make a real difference.”