World Book Day has rolled around again, cue the parental grumbling about effort, cost and competition, but, if nothing else, WBD is a good reminder of the importance of reading to and with kids every day.

Only 1 in 4 children read daily and the number of children and young people who say they enjoy reading is at its lowest level since 2013. In this screen-dependent time when everything is so instant and easy this is concerning; good literacy is an essential life skill.

The National Literacy Trust’s #CloseTheGap campaign was launched in February 2020 in an attempt to close the literacy gap between children from the poorest backgrounds and their peers. A lack of literacy development in the early years can have a knock on effect; 1 in 5 children leave primary school unable to read or write properly and nine million adults in the UK are functionally illiterate.

“Children from the poorest backgrounds start school with a vocabulary gap of 19 months behind better-off children.”

https://literacytrust.org.uk/news/we-launch-fundraising-campaign-closethegap/

Check out this blog for tips to engage children in reading and create a literacy rich home.