Only one in five parents read to their children before bedtime

Parents are failing to find the time to read to their children, with time-pressed mums feeling the burden more than most, according to new research

Although three-quarters of parents believe that reading to their children every night is incredibly important, only one fifth of them actually find the time do it.

Child psychologist Tanya Bryon says: “Reading is crucial for child development and a lack of reading can impair language growth, emergent literacy and social skill development.”

Storytelling, an age-old bedtime ritual for most children, is becoming increasingly overlooked as busy lifestyles take their toll. Some 65 per cent of parents wish that they had more time to read to children – but work demands, childcare and general household duties leave little time for a simple fairy-tale, according to the study.

As the research commissioned by Alton Towers Resort shows, many parents see bedtime storytelling as an added stress to their day, with 71 per cent of parents claiming it is one of the most stressful things they do.

Mums feel worse than dads with 40 per cent of them admitting feeling guilty when they don’t have time to read to their children. Despite this, 28 per cent of parents admit to actively avoiding story time, preferring to socialise with friends than read to their children at bedtime, and 17 per cent admitting they’d rather put their child in front of the television than read them a book.

However, it’s not just busy schedules, but also a lack of confidence that can lead to problems at story-time. One in two mums blame their poor imagination on their irregular bedtime readings, while one in ten men say their poor reading skills make them embarrassed to read to their kids.

In a bid to revive the art of story-telling, Alton Towers Resort is releasing a new children’s book The Enchanted Village that will be available exclusively in its new woodland lodge of the same name. Written by HarperCollins author and former Children’s Book Award winner Jeanne Willis, the children’s tale will be published in April 2015 when the new woodland lodges and luxury treehouses also open.