Written by Wes Hosking | Herald Sun | 27th August 2013

BUSY parents are shutting the book on bedtime stories.

kids_sharing_room_mainTwo-thirds of parents surveyed say they read to their kids less than once a week by the time they turn five.

Mums and dads blame long working hours and mounting housework.

But experts warn it could put youngsters' literacy prospects at risk.

Research, to be released today, shows nationwide 83 per cent of parents with children aged between one and four read to them at least once a week.

It's a different story once youngsters start school, when the figuredrops to 36 per cent.

Deakin University lecturer Dr Sarah Ohi said bedtime stories helped a child's reading, critical thinking, listening and speaking skills.

"It's not just the reading of the book, but it's actually the interactions and the language that takes place between the story," she said.

The routine can be harder to maintain as children get older. "Once children are at school there is a tendency for perhaps both parents to be working and for children to be away from home and away from their families for long periods of time," Dr Ohi said.

"With busy routines and lifestyles the weekdays can become very full-on.

"Parents who are busy may shudder at the thought of adding another item to their family's daily routine, but quality reading sessions with children need not take more than 10 minutes." A Galaxy poll of more than 1200 parents, completed to mark the expansion of The Smith Family and Optus' mobile literacy program, found a fifth of parents blamed making dinner and housework for failing to read to their kids.

One in 10 said work commitments and exhaustion interfered.

Smith Family spokeswoman Theresa Collignon said: "Research identifies a clear link between the development of good literacy and numeracy skills at an early age and higher levels of educational achievement, employability, higher earnings and social participation later in life."

Coburg mother Debbie Wood reads to six-year-old son Toby several times a week. "He is doing pretty well with his literacy and I can see him following along often when I'm reading," Mrs Wood said. "It's probably one of the nicest activities we do."

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