RISMEDIA, March 17, 2009-Nearly all parents (98%) polled in a LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc- commissioned Harris Interactive survey agree that reading to children from a young age is very important, although the priority may get lost in the shuffle as parents spend more time Online or watching TV than reading with their kids.
According to the company, in celebration of March’s National Reading Month, LeapFrog, a company in the learn-to-read category, has unveiled their million hours reading initiative, a reading program that will promote the importance of families’ bonding and learning through shared reading. The program is being used to inspire parents, teachers and kids to pledge to read one million hours during the month of March.
Balancing chaotic schedules is a challenge for most families, and nearly three-fourths (72%) of parents said they wished they had more time to read to or with their child. However, they also reported spending an average of about 59 minutes a day watching TV with their child, 83 minutes a day watching TV by themselves or with their partner and another 67 minutes per day browsing the Web for non-work-related purposes.
While the majority of parents (83%) do read to their child daily, those who do, spend an average of about 32 minutes reading, compared with a total of 209 minutes (approximately 31/2 hours) a day watching TV and browsing the Web.
“The good news is that parents value reading and enjoy that special time with their children,” said Craig Hendrickson, senior vice president of product marketing for LeapFrog.” Shared reading sets the stage for kids to develop a lifelong love of books that will help them become fluent, independent readers.
For more information, visit www.harrisinteractive.com.
