Dads skipping story-time in New Zealand households

OneNewsNow 3 September 2015
A new survey reveals children are missing out on vital vocabularly exposure as only six per cent of Kiwi dads are regularly reading to their children.

Massey University researcher Tom Nicholson says this statistic needs to improve as dads story-tell differently to mums, which equips children with a wider vocabularly for school.

“Dads actually use a more complex vocabulary than mums. They’re more directive and more informative than mums.”

They have different experiences and talk in a different way so it’s important they read to kids, he says.

Mr Nicholson told TV ONE’s Breakfast that research shows this helps kids to get ahead at school.

The survey, which was conducted by Paper Plus, shows less than half of dads read to their children at all, and if they do it is only once a week.
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/dads-skipping-story-time-in-new-zealand-households-q08816

Why Kiwi boys need their dads to read to them
NZ Herald 5 September 2015
Most Kiwi dads read to their children but mums read to them more, a survey has found.

The online survey of 9182 parents of children aged up to 8 by bookshop chain Paper Plus found that 94 per cent of dads, and 95 per cent of mums, read to their kids at least once a week.

But when asked who spent more time reading to the children, 62 per cent of mothers and 55 per cent of fathers agreed it was mum.

Only 6 per cent of fathers and 5 per cent of mothers said it was dad, and the others said both parents gave their children about the same amount of reading time.

Massey University literacy expert Professor Tom Nicholson said having dads as reading role models was hugely important.

“Boys tend to dislike reading much more than girls and they over-represent in remedial reading classes.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=11508249