Reading is essential. Let the KY Book Festival help your kids start | Opinion
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- Study finds reading to young children fell to 41% with daily rates down sharply.
- Decline concentrates among boys and Gen Z parents who report less enjoyment.
- Kentucky Book Festival on Nov 1, 2025 offers free children’s books and events.
Read me a story – four of the most powerful words in the English language. But for too many people, reading has become a chore rather than an enriching escape.
Even more alarming is a recent study that not only are children less likely to read, but now parents – especially Gen Z parents – are less likely to read to their children.
The number of parents reading to their children is at an all-time low. Only 41 percent of children ages 4 and younger are read to frequently. That’s down from 64 percent in 2012. And it’s even worse by gender: Only 29% of boys in that age range are read to daily, compared to 44% of girls.
Those statistics aren’t so surprising when you consider another finding: Only 40% of parents say reading to their children is “fun for me.”
According to the study from HarperCollins UK, Gen Z parents are significantly more likely than Millennials or Gen X to view reading as “more a subject to learn” rather than a fun or enriching activity.
Gen Z – those born between 1997 and 2012 – is the first generation to grow up with technology infused in their daily lives. And their children are following in their footsteps.
As screen time soars while reading time and literacy rates decline, the impact on education and individuals is far-reaching.
Research studies from the American Association of Pediatrics show that the benefits of reading to children include improved academic performance, increased critical thinking and problem-solving skills, stronger language and communication skills, and positive socialization and empathy.
As the weather gets colder and holiday gift-giving approaches, here are some easy ways to make reading together easier, more fun and beneficial:
- Find a children’s book with a topic that interests both of you. Love mystery, magic and adventure? Interested in space exploration? Graphic novel fan? You might like POE Prophecies series by P. Anastasia, The Astrochimps by Dawn Cusick and Taekwondo Academy: New Kid at the Dojang by Shawn Pryor
- Make it a habit: Carve out a specific time each day – after a bath or before bed – to spend time reading with your child.
- Take baby steps: Start reading a few minutes a day, and you can even incorporate technology. Hugh Rabagliati, a psychology professor at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, told Newsweek: “There are also some great technological solutions, like screen-free Yoto Players. These provide some of the same benefits of reading aloud, but don’t require the parents to become a human audiobook.”
- Use reading to help everyone sleep better. Would you be more likely to read if you knew it has practical benefits? There is research showing that a bedtime story may help preschoolers sleep longer and better. And it may even help you sleep better. Out of the 2,000 parents surveyed, 81% reported that reading to their kids helps both children and parents fall asleep.
The Kentucky Book Festival can help. On Nov. 1 between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., bring your children ages 14 or under to Joseph-Beth Book Sellers and receive a voucher for a free children’s book courtesy of Kentucky Humanities.
For book lovers and soon-to-be book lovers, the festival also will offer a variety of events leading up to the festival. You can learn more at https://kybookfestival.org/festival-week-events/#.
Bill Goodman is the executive director of Kentucky Humanities, which is presenting the 44th annual Kentucky Book Festival on Nov. 1 at Joseph-Beth Booksellers.