Does your kid spend more time with books or screens? Do you enjoy reading to your kids?
According to a 2025 National Literacy Trust study of parents and caregivers of children ages 0-5 in the U.K., less than half of parents (46%) read to their child daily. Furthermore, only 70% chatted with their child daily by responding to the child’s words or gestures.
A different study by HarperCollins Publishers (also in the U.K.) found that only 41% of children ages 0-4 were read to frequently. For boys aged 2 and under, only 29% were read to every day. Girls of the same age group fare a bit better, but still poorly at just 44%.
These rates have fallen dramatically (over 20%) over the past decade or so, and they were falling even before that.
Unfortunately, in 2024, only 31% of 4th graders were reading at proficient reading levels according to NAEP (the Nation’s Report Card). With even fewer parents reading to their kids today, where will literacy rates be a decade from now?
Why aren’t parents reading to their kids anymore?
Apparently, most Gen Z parents (60%) don’t consider reading fun. As a “zillennial” mom (bordering Millennial and Gen Z), I understand how books get lost in the shuffle. Life feels so busy, and there are so many other things that I feel like I need to accomplish. While I love reading (and was an avid reader when I was younger), I’ve noticed that I spend much less time with my nose in a book now.
With more kids (and young adults) struggling to read, it also makes sense that parents would see reading more as “work” than “fun,” especially as kids get older. Kids who struggle to read are likely to resist, which makes it more difficult for parents to initiate the activity than if the kid enjoyed it. Parents who aren’t confident readers may look for alternative ways of connecting with their kids. However, this makes it even more difficult for those kids to become confident readers themselves.
I’ll also note that books can get quite expensive, especially if you’re trying to buy them new. Since many young families feel significant financial pressures, it can be a struggle to build a home library from scratch. Adding to the financial pressures of buying books, it can also take significant time to find good books to buy and read.
Why is reading to kids (and enjoying it) important?
Did you know that frequently reading to your babies and toddlers means that they will hear over a million more words than their peers with less reading exposure by the time they’re in kindergarten? And that 90% of brain growth happens before a child turns five years old?
Reading more to your kid(s) while they’re young gives them a leg up when they’re learning to read on their own because they’ll have a bigger vocabulary. It also helps them begin to see the connection between letters and sounds, preparing them for more formal phonics instruction as they get older. Strong readers start young!
Reading also exposes children to a wide variety of concepts, ideas, and experiences beyond their normal environment. This background knowledge can further motivate kids to read, build their imagination, and improve their socio-emotional development.
Beyond the developmental and future academic benefits, time spent reading together is also a great way for parents to bond and relax with their children. I can’t even begin to tell you how many times our family has developed inside jokes from books that we’ve read together, especially when our toddler finds a line he loves to repeat (or hilariously misquotes it)!
How to Enjoy Reading to Your Kids
1. Find beautiful books that you (and your children) actually enjoy!
There are many, many wonderful children’s books out there. There’s also a lot of rather poorly written books. And just like we don’t enjoy reading bad books written for adults, we aren’t going to enjoy reading bad children’s literature either!
I’m still honing my book-finding skills, but I’ve found that good books have at least one (often several) of the following characteristics:
- Beautiful illustrations – I mean that they are so beautiful that I might want to hang them on a wall or at least spend some time studying them! I have a list of beautiful Christian books here, but Time for Bed and Stellaluna (or any book by Janell Cannon) are wonderful books for any child.
- Great rhyme and/or meter – These books are legitimately fun to read! If you find yourself trying to cover up awkward not-quite-even-slant rhymes or a meter that almost works but doesn’t, it’s far less pleasurable. One of the best examples of this (at least in our collection) is Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo. It rhymes wonderfully and has a meter that really sounds like a train rumbling down the tracks. Truly a delight!
- Timeless themes, morals, or lessons – As long as they are written well, books that deal with such perennial topics are hard not to love. The Little Engine That Could is one such book!
- Books that you (and/or your parents, grandparents, etc.) loved – Older books that have been popular for generations are usually popular for a reason. We love books like Corduroy, Goodnight Moon, Where the Wild Things Are, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar!
2. Find a routine time every day to read
When do you and your children need a calm moment of connection together? That’s a great time to do some reading! In our house, reading a few books before naptime, when waking up from naptime, and right before bedtime has been a lifesaver. While we were potty training, we also read a lot of potty-related books (like the wonderful Skip to the Loo, My Darling) while waiting on the potty!
I’ve seen other parents recommend during breakfast or another time in the morning. It’s a lovely way to start the day on a positive note with some extra snuggles to boot!
3. Start small, then build up to longer reading sessions
If you’re not in the habit of reading, start with just reading a short picture book or board book. Even just a couple minutes is better than nothing. If you can do a couple minutes a couple times each day, even better! Starting small will keep it fun without overtaxing your or your child’s attention span.
Once you’re enjoying reading one book, you might find that you can read another book too. Or perhaps a longer book! Keep building on the habit of reading together, especially as you both begin to enjoy it.
If you aren’t a confident reader yourself, that’s okay! Pick an easy book or even find a recording of one being read aloud. Once it’s familiar to you, you’ll feel more confident reading it to your child. Keep repeating this to build up your “repertoire” and your reading abilities. You’re learning together and that’s a beautiful thing!
4. Read as much and as often as you are able, but don’t sweat it.
Some days, you may read for an hour or more (probably across multiple sessions). Other days, you may not read at all. Don’t beat yourself up about it, just keep doing what you can.
I find that days when I’m particularly tend to go better if I can plan to squeeze in some reading time with my kiddo. However, there are days when we’re out and about or otherwise on-the-go and book time just doesn’t happen. That’s life. We try to read a bit more the following day to make up for it, but what’s more important is to keep up the habit of reading, not to strictly stick to a specific daily time goal.
5. Find free and low-cost books to build your personal library
You could buy all your books new, but let’s be honest – kids are hard on books. It’s best if you can find books for free or at a discount.
Instead of spending a small fortune on a home library, borrow from the public library for free! This is a great way to discover which books you and your children do (and don’t) enjoy. If you find a real gem, then it may be worth purchasing the book so that you’re not bound your library’s time limits.
There are also free programs, like Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which give young children books for free on a monthly basis. We’ve received several great books from this program that our son loves (and any that he doesn’t, we’ve donated).
Facebook Marketplace is also a great place to find free or very discounted books. Yard sales, thrift stores, used book stores, and children’s consignment stores also have great deals on books. You might have to hunt around a bit, but we’ve been surprised by some of the amazing books we’ve found this way.
If you love reading to your kids, what do you enjoy the most? If you don’t love it, what are the biggest hurdles for you? Let’s work together in the comments to help all families enjoy the benefits of reading together!
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