Bedtime stories

With more and more parents working longer hours and trying to juggle work and family lives, storytelling is suffering according to the findings of the poll by UKfamily.co.uk.

Figures showed 31 per cent of parents said they didn’t have time to read to their kids.

The figures are broadly in line with the national average which showed around a third of parents said they didn’t spend time reading to their children.

As a result a campaign has been launched by the website which is part of the Disney group, to encourage more parents to read to their children.

As part of the driver, Disney stores across the UK are hosting a number of activities throughout the month.

In Southampton the store at the Mall Marlands is running story time reading sessions where staff read Disney classics using props and characters.

Children can also enter a competition to design a bookmark that could win a £250 shopping spree.

Supervisor Becky Timms said: “The children absolutely love it. They really engage with the stories and some even demand more at the end.

“I think storytelling it very important for children but parents do struggle to find the time.

“By listening to stories they engage with it and use their imagination.”

Of those surveyed in Southampton parents said they were more likely to read ‘classic’ stories to contemporary choices.

When asked about Disney classics, Cinderella and Snow White ranked first and second with 29 per cent and 23 per cent.

“The classic stories are the favourites with the children when we read them,”

agreed Becky.

UK parents can register for the ‘5 Minutes More’ Challenge at UKfamily.co.uk, where they will find lots of useful tips and guidelines on how to make story-time interesting, recommendations for books by child’s age as well as details of storytelling events being held at Disney Stores and libraries nationwide.

To find out more about the Southampton store reading sessions call 023 8022 2543.