Helping more men read to kids...

Inspired by the Fatherhood Institute’s FRED (Fathers Reading Every Day) programme we recently committed to getting more dads and male cares reading to children, especially to boys.

Harper Collins survey of 1,596 parents of children aged 0 - 13 is worth a deep dive. Before we venture into reading, we thought it wise to mention that Dads Kids Club encourages dads and male carers to get more involved in their kids' learning, and by kids we mean of all genders, but in this case we’re focussing on boys because the evidence shows there’s a significant imbalance.

The topline stats are stark: only 41% of children under 5 are read to frequently today, down from 64% in 2012. This 23% reduction in just over a decade, means hundreds of thousands of young children are growing up without regular shared reading at home. 

Here’s the pinch - boys are particularly underserved. Among children aged 0 - 2, only 29% of boys are read to every day or nearly every day, compared to 44% of girls the same age. More strikingly, over one in five boys (22%) aged 0 - 2 are rarely or never read to at all. This gap appears early and widens by ages 12 - 13, only 12% of boys read for pleasure every day or nearly every day, compared to 23% of girls.

And the super sad news is that Parents themselves are disengaging from reading too. Only 40% of parents say reading aloud to their children is "fun for me," and 34% say they simply wish they had more time to do it. There is also a generational shift in attitudes: Gen Z parents - who grew up with technology are more likely than older generations to see reading as an educational task rather than something enjoyable, with 28% describing it as "more a subject to learn" compared to 21% of Gen X parents.

Reading is increasingly being associated with school pressure rather than pleasure. Almost one in three children aged 5 - 13 now say reading feels like a school subject rather than something fun - up from one in four in 2012. And despite government guidance encouraging daily reading for pleasure in schools, only 24% of children aged 5 - 10 had a daily story time session at school in 2024. So the story is simple = dads need to read more to their kids, especially to boys. They also need to pick up more books themselves and lead by example. 

Ms Banton, Deputy Head to the rescue - remembering 12 boxes of books had been donated by the Children’s Book Project to the school. Dads and kids set up a free book stall and 80+ books got chosen by children and their grown-ups. Dads and male carers all shared their favourite books we read as kids. Stig of the Dump was one dads bestest, mine was Danny Champion of the World what about you - and what’s your next book going to be? Lets get reading more…

Scott

I'm Scott. Founder of Dads Kids Club. We're a dad-led Community Interest Company that invites men to get more involved in their kids' education - improving children's educational engagement, men's mental health and life opportunities for both. 

We invite, train and mobilise dads, step-dads, grandads, uncles and male carers to co-run screen-free, hands-on Saturday clubs at their children's primary schools. Men share skills, connect and bond. Children enjoy beyond-the-curriculum activities - building confidence, new skills and memories that last. We celebrate all masculinities, backgrounds, identities and beliefs.

If you work in education, family services, philanthropy or simply believe in what happens when dads show up - I'd love to connect.

📧 info@dadskids.club 🌐@DadsKidsClub (on Instagram)