Reading with children helps them meet early developmental milestones and do better at school. It develops children’s empathy and creativity. It supports bonding, connection and wellbeing, helping children find belonging. It helps overcome inequalities before they deepen.
Through our Family Survey data we have found that young children’s enjoyment of reading in the early years has increased. However, despite high levels of parent and child enjoyment, daily shared reading has fallen markedly and frequent shared reading has also declined in recent years.
Changing societal dynamics and rapid technological change place a range of pressures on families with young children. These pressures are not spread equally, and inequalities in children’s experiences begin from their earliest moments.
Early shared reading, with its proven developmental benefits, is a powerful way to reduce these inequalities. But complex pressures on family life, combined with unequal access to time, resources and supportive environments, appear to be making reading harder.
System change is needed to reverse the decline and ensure inequalities in early reading habits are reduced. Tackling these inequalities will require greater and sustained cross-sector investment in early reading, supported by partnerships that recognise reading’s role in children’s life chances.
