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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Donna Ferguson

Life in lockdown held back progress of under-fives

Crystal Robinson sits with her two-year-old, Heidi, on Heidi's bed reading a book
Crystal Robinson and her two-year-old, Heidi, at home in Swindon. Crystal found it hard to communicate with her daughter during lockdown, but now both love reading together. Photograph: Karen Robinson/The Observer

Parents spent less time reading, chatting and playing with their children during the pandemic, according to new research by the National Literacy Trust. A quarter said they did not chat with their child every day in 2021, compared with just 10% in 2019, and only half (53%) of parents said they were reading to their child daily, compared with two-thirds in 2019.

And the proportion of parents who said they played with their child at least once a day in the previous week also fell from 76% in 2019 to 72% in 2021. The Trust surveyed more than 1,500 parents with children under five.

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