The Dads Make Stories Magic campaign involves a four-week storytelling challenge, starting today (14 June), with the goal of reaching a million minutes of shared storytime across the UK by 14 July.
It is backed by authors Michael Morpurgo, Nick Butterworth and David Walliams and is a joint collaboration between BookTrust and children’s publishers Farshore and HarperCollins .
Research undertaken by Nielsen BookData found that only 29 percent of children from birth to age 13 were read to ‘every day or nearly every day’ by their dads in 2022.
A survey by reading charity BookTrust of 2,148 parents and carers from low-income backgrounds, 626 of which were fathers or stepfathers, also found that 76 per cent of dads that read with their children find it rewarding.
A total of 74 percent found it an enjoyable experience for both them and their children.
'It's more important than ever to motivate and inspire the nation to read.'
Nick Butterworth, author and illustrator of children's books, said, ‘This illuminating new research highlights that it’s more important than ever to motivate and inspire the nation to read.
'I didn’t get the hang of reading until I was eight, but thanks to my mum and my grandmother, who read constantly to me, I became hooked. Not on reading, but on stories.
'As a dad, I wanted to repeat the fun I had as a boy with my own children. I didn’t realise then that as a by-product, I was making a huge investment in their future.'
'Children will love the closeness and bonding moments that come from sharing a book together'.
Diana Gerald, chief executive of BookTrust, commented, ‘Reading is something that can be done anywhere and brings children life-changing benefits that can give them the best start in life. There’s no right or wrong way to read a book. You can look at the pictures, use silly voices or make up your own story.
'Children will love the closeness and bonding moments that come from sharing a book together so there’s nothing to stop you from giving it a go. Join the Dads Make Stories Magic campaign and you’ll be sharing magical storytime experiences and creating memories together with your children.’
- To sign up for the campaign click here