Are you reading to your kids enough?
Survey Reveals that American Children are Missing Out on Bedtime Stories
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Survey Overview
A 2007 survey by the BOOK IT!® program,* the nation’s largest reading incentive program for children, reveals that many parents are not in the habit of reading to their kids at bedtime.
- American children are missing out on bedtime stories. Nearly half of all American parents (48 percent of those responding to the 2007 BOOK IT! program survey) do not have a nightly tradition of reading to their kids before bed.
- Nearly half of all parents (49 percent of those responding to the 2007 BOOK IT! program survey) spend 15 minutes or less reading when they read to their children at bedtime. On average, parents surveyed spend 19.5 minutes reading to their children at bedtime.
- Moms read to kids more than dads. Fifty-three percent of parents surveyed for the 2007 BOOK IT! program survey say that mom reads to the kids the most, 6 percent of parents surveyed say that dad is reading the most, and 41 percent of parents surveyed say that mom and dad read about the same amount.
- The majority of parents (55 percent of those responding to the 2007 BOOK IT! program survey) reads one book to their children at bedtime. The average number of books that parents surveyed read to their kids at bedtime is 1.7.
- The average bedtime for children 9 years old or younger is 8:48 p.m. according to the 2007 BOOK IT! program survey. Most parents (78 percent of those responding to the 2007 BOOK IT! program survey) put their kids to bed between 8 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
* Methodology: The BOOK IT! program worked with Synovate to conduct a 2007 online survey of 444 American parents 18 and older with children, 9 years old or younger.
About BOOK IT!
Pizza Hut established the BOOK IT! National Reading Incentive Program in 1985 to motivate children to read more and help them develop a lifelong love of reading.
- Approximately 22 million students will participate in the BOOK IT! program this year.
- The BOOK IT! program runs every school year from October through March. Teachers set reading goals for each child in the class, and children who reach their monthly reading goals are rewarded with a certificate for a free Personal Pan Pizza®, praise and recognition.
- Pizza Hut, Inc. has invested approximately $350 million in the BOOK IT! program since the program’s inception.
- The BOOK IT! program is working with actor/writer John Lithgow to invite families to participate in the largest bedtime story gathering in history, “America’s Biggest Bedtime Story.” More than 225,000 kids and parents will listen to Lithgow read a bedtime story on Nov. 13 at 5 p.m. EST at www.bookitprogram.com.
- The goal of “America’s Biggest Bedtime Story” is to encourage more families to spend at least 20 minutes reading to their kids at night. According to a 2003 study by Cathy Collins Block, professor at Texas Christian University School of Education, student achievement is significantly bolstered by just 20 extra minutes of reading each day (Hunter, 2004, p. 39).
Hunter, Phyllis (2004, January/February). Classroom Libraries Level the Playing Field. Scholastic Instructor
Magazine, p. 39.
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