National Survey Finds That 83% Of Kids Ages 6-17 Love(d) Being Read Aloud To

NEW YORK, March 3, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- March 4th is World Read Aloud Day, and there is reason to celebrate because according to the Kids & Family Reading Report™: 5^th Edition, conducted by Scholastic and YouGov, children ages 6 to 17 overwhelmingly say that they love(d) being read aloud to.  And while the survey also found that most parents stop reading aloud to their children as they get older and can read independently, 40% of children ages 6–11 say they wish their parents would continue to read aloud to them because "it is a special time with their parents." To guide parents on reading aloud to their children, Scholastic released an infographic about the importance of reading aloud and Scholastic Parents online has created a free resource guide featuring read aloud book lists for all ages: scholastic.com/KFRRparents.

Other key findings:

• Although 91% of parents of children ages 0–17 years old say their children were read aloud to at home before age 6, there is a sharp decline in parents reading aloud to their children 5–7 days a week as kids get older – from 1 in 3 kids ages 6–8 (34%) and to only 1 in 6 kids ages 9-11 (17%). 
• Nearly three-quarters of parents with children ages 0–5 (73%) say they started reading aloud to their child before age one, but only 30% say they began before the age of three months.
• Six in 10 parents with children ages 0–5 (60%) have received advice that children should be read aloud to from birth; however, just under half of parents in the lowest-income households (47%) received this advice, versus 74% in the highest-income households.
• Among parents who received advice that children should be read aloud to from birth, the most common sources are advice from friends and family (58%), followed by pediatricians (43%), then parenting books (41%) and magazines (38%).

"Kids of all ages are clearly telling us in this report that they don't ever want their parents to stop reading aloud to them," says Maggie McGuire, Vice President Scholastic Kids and Parents Channels. "Reading aloud is one of the most precious gifts a parent or caregiver can give to their children, and today and every day we encourage families to find a great book, read aloud together and discover how fun and rewarding it feels."

A full copy of the report and a downloadable reading aloud infographic is available online at www.scholastic.com/readingreport. Other key findings from the report reveal predictors of reading frequency, how frequently children have opportunities to read for pleasure at school and much more.

For more information about Scholastic, visit our media room at http://mediaroom.scholastic.com.

Background on the Kids & Family Reading Report™
The Kids & Family Reading Report is a biannual report from Scholastic and is managed by YouGov. Results are from a nationally representative survey with a total sample size of 2,558 parents and children, including 506 parents of children ages 0–5; 1,026 parents of children ages 6–17; plus one child age 6–17 from the same household. The survey was conducted from August 29, 2014 through September 10, 2014. For the full methodology, see www.scholastic.com/readingreport.

About Scholastic
Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL) is the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books and a leader in educational technology and related services and children's media. Scholastic creates quality books and ebooks, print and technology-based learning materials and programs, magazines, multi-media and other products that help children learn both at school and at home. The Company distributes its products and services worldwide through a variety of channels, including school-based book clubs and book fairs, retail stores, schools, libraries, on-air and online at www.scholastic.com.

About YouGov
YouGov is a pioneer in online research with offices throughout the United States, the UK, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. YouGov's custom research specialists conduct a full spectrum of quantitative and qualitative research providing comprehensive market intelligence to the world's leading businesses and institutions. YouGov was recently named one of the world's top 25 research companies by the respected American Marketing Association Top 25 Report and has a proven, published record of uniquely accurate data and actionable insights informing political, cultural and commercial organizations around the globe. http://research.yougov.com.

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SOURCE Scholastic Inc.

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