Do You Read Bedtime Stories to Your Kids, Plymouth-Canton?

This article was written by Leslie Ellis and Nicole Krawcke.

A new study finds only one in three parents reads bedtime stories with their children every night.

The statistic was among the data released earlier this month from a survey commissioned by Reading Is Fundamental and Macy's to launch the annual Be Book Smart campaign from June 21 to July 21 to support children's literacy.

The response to a query on the Plymouth-Canton Patch Facebook page about whether parents read to their kids on a nightly basis was a resounding yes.

• Dawn Denise New-Echlin: Every single night and why because they love it, I love it, and it gives us uninterrupted quality time together at some of the most critical points of the day.
• Erika White Laszlo: Yes! I always enjoyed the time. No interruptions. Just me the kids and a good book.
  
• Tracey Mitchell Hrubiak: Always when they were younger (18 & 13 now). Read, sometimes made up stories & they would continue with a part. Why? Bonding, love & fun. Bonus, both my boys are creative.
  
• Reiko Misumi Schelm: Yes, it's a great wind-down, great way to assess where they are in recognizing letters, words, ideas...sparks those lazy but deeper convos that are peeks into their hearts, these convos seem to happen most often at bedtime...their fears and joys and wonders and discoveries.
  
• Rebecca Willenborg Lenk: We do, but I have to admit, it's not really something I enjoy! (twins finishing K right now). Though I've always enjoyed reading, I've never enjoyed reading aloud. Some nights we skip it, some nights they draw pictures instead. But we do read a lot of stories around here! But we go to the library ALL the time! (We were just there last night!) Canton has such a great library!
  

The nationwide survey of more than 1,000 parents with children age 8 or younger conducted in April by Harris Interactive for RIF and Macy's also found the following.

• Eighty-seven percent of parents read bedtime stories to their children, although not necessarily on a nightly basis.
• Fifty percent of parents say their children spend more time with television or video games than with books.
• Twice as many children prefer a printed book (20 percent) over an e-book (9 percent), say parents who read both types of books to their children.
• Children who don't read well by the end of the third grade are four times more likely to drop out of high school than proficient readers, according to a report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Click here for more information about the Be Book Smart campaign.