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Welsh Parents Too Hooked On Screen Time To Read With Kids

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A new survey released by BookTrust, the UK’s largest children’s reading charity finds that Welsh mums and dads are spending over four times the amount of time (over 1.5 hours) engaging in screen time each day than they are reading with their children (19 mins).

The poll studied 2,000 parents of 4-11-year-olds revealing that nearly half of parents in Wales confess to either frequently skipping pages when reading with children, finishing reading the story before the end or refusing to read a second story. Of those who admit to skipping pages, over half (53%) did so because they were too tired.

To help families find the time to read together this Autumn, BookTrust, alongside Welsh presenters Alex Jones and Lucy Owen and a host of other famous faces such as Dermot O’Leary and Mel Giedroyc are calling on parents and carers across the country to take part in the charity’s National Time to Read challenge (18-22 September) to free up ten minutes a day to share a story. Families can get involved on social media #TimetoRead or #AmseriDdarllen and share their swaps with the nation.

Supporting the campaign, TV personality Alex Jones said “Becoming a parent can be pretty daunting and comes with a never-ending to do list but reading with your little ones needn’t be a chore. Reading together is so much fun and helps us cement that bond. It doesn’t have to be regimented either, you can read anytime, anything and anywhere. I’m supporting BookTrust’s National Time to Read challenge by turning off my email notifications for an hour a day and spending some of that time with a quality book!”

Helen Wales Head of BookTrust Cymru said: “Regular reading helps imaginations to grow in the most fun and exciting way. Our survey reveals that over a third (37%) of children enjoy comics and magazines, proving that it’s not just books that get them turning pages, you really can read anything, anytime, anywhere. We hope families across the country will join us in finding ten minutes to read together – it really is all it takes to make a difference.’’

To find out more about BookTrust’s National Time to Read Challenge visit: www.booktrust.org.uk/TimetoRead

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