Children choose DVDs over books

Published on 19/10/2009 21:28

CHILDREN as young as four spend more time playing video games and watching DVDs than reading with their parents, research has revealed.

A study for reading charity Booktrust also found that tiredness, cooking dinner, the demands of homework or other children, and simply having too much else to do were among the reasons given by parents for not reading with their child.

Only one in three parents and carers said they read with their children on a daily basis, while 3 per cent never, or rarely, did so.

Women were more likely than men to read aloud to their children – 41 per cent of mothers of 11 to 12-year-olds did so, compared with 17 per cent of fathers.