papadoodle00WHAT THE RESEARCH SAYS
Story time is not just a mum thing.
UK surveys track how often fathers read, chat, sing and draw with their under-fives. Studies of dads and books suggest they bring something of their own to the page: more questions, and more links to real life.
See the habits01Principles
02THE SHORT ANSWER
Fathers are reading less often than in 2019.
The research gives good reasons to keep the book open.
READING
In a US study of 430 low-income families, fathers' book reading at 2 and 3 years predicted children's language and cognitive skills at age 3.
See the numbersTALK
Researchers found dads often connected the story to the child's own experience, such as the last time they used a ladder.
Try it tonightDOODLING
Only about 1 in 5 UK fathers painted, drew or made something with their under-five every day in 2024.
Check the habits03A QUICK HABIT CHECK
Pick an everyday activity to see how many UK fathers of children aged 0 to 5 said they did it every day in the last week, in 2024. The bar shows how common it was.
Figures from National Literacy Trust surveys of parents of children aged birth to five, 2019 and 2024.
04TWO NUMBERS WORTH KNOWING
One figure on daily reading,
one on how fathers' care time has grown.
47.4%
UK fathers of under-fives reading every day, 2024
Down from 63.4% in 2019. Mothers fell too, from 67.0% to 52.8%. The Trust links the decline to the pandemic, the cost of living and early years funding cuts.
DAILY READING · NATIONAL LITERACY TRUST
65%
Working dads' childcare time as a share of working mums'
In March 2022, up from 54% in 2014/15. Working fathers' daily minutes of unpaid childcare rose by 18% over that period, using ONS time-use data.
CARE TIME · FATHERHOOD INSTITUTE / ONS
A London School of Economics study of the UK Time Use Surveys found fathers' overall childcare involvement was stable between 2000 and 2014, so the post-pandemic rise is a recent shift.
05FOUR THINGS TO TRY
None of these needs special books or a lot of time. They draw on what the studies saw fathers doing well, and on the activities that have slipped most since 2019.
Daily reading by UK dads of under-fives fell 16 points between 2019 and 2024. A short story at bedtime or breakfast both count.
When a ladder, a bus or a dog appears, talk about the last time you saw or used one together.
Researchers noticed fathers used more abstract, complex language. Try asking what might happen next, or why.
Rhymes and drawing saw the biggest drops. Sing the story's words or draw a favourite character afterwards.
06WHY DADS' STYLE MATTERS
In US research led by Dr Elisabeth Duursma, fathers sharing a book often linked events to the child's own life, while mothers more often asked children to label, count or name colours.
The studies show associations, not proof that one parent matters more. What they suggest is simple: a second regular reader in a child's life brings extra words, questions and ideas.
07Questions
In National Literacy Trust surveys of parents of children aged birth to five, 47.4% of fathers said they read with their child daily in 2024, compared with 63.4% in 2019.
In a US study of 430 low-income families, fathers' book reading at 24 and 36 months predicted children's language and cognitive skills at 36 months and their book knowledge at preK. Mothers' reading predicted cognitive skills at 36 months.
Researchers at the University of Wollongong reported that fathers tended to use more abstract and complex language and often linked the story to the child's own experience. Mothers focused more on details in the book.
Fatherhood Institute analysis of ONS time-use data found working fathers' daily childcare minutes rose 18% between 2014/15 and March 2022, reaching 65% of working mothers' time.
The National Literacy Trust says the pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis and cuts to early years funding are likely to have played a significant role, and warns against simply concluding that parents are doing less.
08Sources
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