Parents still read bedtime stories to their children – and even use costumes or voices

One in five parents read to their children at least once a day – and more than half can recite every word of their child’s favorite stories

Bedtime stories are great, with parents reading to their children four times a week – often choosing the same book so they can recite every word on a regular basis.

A study of 1,000 parents, with children aged 0 to 10, found that 82% regularly read to their children, with 20% of these doing so at least once per day.

And many use a variety of storytelling techniques to capture the imaginations of their children’s generation.

These include using sound effects (26%), dimming the lights (28%), and even embellishing or editing the story (26%).

Research commissioned by McDonald’s to highlight their free book token giveaway with Happy Meals for World Book Day – a campaign supported by Joe Swash.

Research shows that more than half (57%) know every last word of some story.

Chloe Bissell, head of family, brand & relationship marketing for the restaurant chain, said: “Story time is a familiar and indispensable part of growing up.

“For many of us, our memories of being read to us by loved ones are perhaps some of our most cherished.

“It’s a great way to introduce children to the magical world of literature and create new memories that will live with them forever.

“We are very proud to be partnering with the National Literacy Trust and World Book Day to ensure more families than ever can come together to share a story.”

To really increase the length of the story, one in four parents (26%) reading to their children will use sound effects, while 16% will play the right background music to set the right mood. .

And 16% will come to town wearing a costume, with a similar percentage using puppets to bring the story to life.

Six out of ten such revealed techniques help them feel more confident reading to their children.

On average, those polled said the most popular story they tell their children has been read a total of 40 times.

Having read specific stories so many times, 33% admitted that they tried to skip every part of the book.

But this strategy rarely works, as 90% of those who have tried it revealed that their children tend to notice and call on them for it.

Research conducted through OnePoll found that 61% of those who voice their voices when reading to their children believe that this aspect of storytelling is what their children enjoy most during story time.

But opinions differ on who their children think has the best voice – with 42% believing they will say dad, while 40% think they’ll vote for mom.