Daily Reading, Singing & Telling Stories to Children

Photo Courtesy of Best Starts For Kids

Reading, singing, and telling stories to children every day helps to build a strong and healthy bond between children and their caregivers, setting the stage for social and emotional growth as well as language development. In 2021 and 2023 combined, on average 77.3% of children ages 6 months to 5 years in King County were read, sung, or told stories to by their parents and caregivers every day.  

• Language spoken at home: Children in households that spoke Chinese (55.3%), Spanish (55.4%), and Vietnamese (55.5%) were less likely to be read, sung, or told stories to every day.  

• Parent’s age: 61.2% of parents or caregivers ages 24 or younger reported reading, singing, or telling stories to their children every day, a lower rate than King County average.   

• Race and ethnicity: Asian children (66.4%) and Hispanic children (63.8%) were less likely than other children in King County overall to be read, sung, or told stories to every day.  

• Income: Children in families with annual incomes less than $75,000 were less likely than children in households with incomes at or above $100,000 to be read, sung, or told stories to every day.  

• Region: Children in South King County (70.7%) were less likely than those in Seattle (83.9%), North King County (81.4%), and East King County (79.5%) to be read, sung, or told stories to every day.  

• Education: Children whose parents and caregivers’ highest level of education was a high school diploma, GED, or less were less likely to be read, sung, or told stories to every day than children whose parents had a college degree.  

Read more about why daily reading, singing, and telling stories to children is important and what families in King County had to say about it in this Best Starts for Kids Health Survey data brief.

When families and caregivers reviewed this data from the survey, many felt that reading with their children daily was a high bar to set. Caregivers also expressed a need for more access to books and library programs in languages other than English, in rural areas, and for children with special needs. Singing and storytelling is a strength of communities of color, and caregivers believe these activities may be underestimated in the survey due to how often these activities are done informally. They would appreciate including this data as a key indicator of child and family well-being.