Children in SE missing out on bedtime stories

03 Sep 2008

Parents in the South East read fewer bedtime stories to their children than any other region in the UK, a new survey has found.

Research carried out by Talking Tots revealed that one in 10 parents in the South East of England say their child never reads a bedtime story before going to sleep, while half of parents admit to never reading more than one book to their kids at bedtime.

Lisa Houghton, co-founder of Talking Tots, said: "Parents often don't realise how important bedtime stories are. Sharing stories with children stimulates their memory, vocabulary, social and emotional skills, giving them a real head start in the classroom.

"A great story is like a rocket engine for your child's imagination – you'll be amazed at the conversations you can have about their favourite characters."

According to the research, one in five dads in the South East reads to their children every night, compared to just one in 50 in the North East.

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