New LeapFrog Reading Campaign Encourages Parents to Make Time for Shared Reading
In conjunction with National Reading Month, a LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc.-commissioned Harris Interactive(R) survey reveals that nearly all parents(1) (98 per cent) asked agree that reading to children from a young age is very important. That priority may get lost in the shuffle, though, as parents spend more time online or watching TV than reading with their kids. Promoting the importance of families’ bonding and learning through shared reading, LeapFrog, a pioneer in the learn-to-read category, has unveiled a reading program to inspire parents, teachers and kids to pledge to read one million hours during the month of March (leapfrog.com/readingmonth).
Balancing chaotic schedules is a challenge for most families, and nearly three-fourths (72 per cent) of parents said they wished they had more time to read to or with their child. However, they also reported spending an average of about 59 minutes a day watching TV with their child, 83 minutes a day watching TV by themselves or with their partner and another 67 minutes per day browsing the Web for non-work-related purposes.
While the majority of parents (83 percent) do read to their child daily, those who do spend an average of about 32 minutes reading, compared with a total of 209 minutes (approximately 31/2 hours) a day watching TV and browsing the Web.
“The good news is that parents value reading and enjoy that special time with their children,” said Craig Hendrickson, senior vice president of product marketing for LeapFrog. “Shared reading sets the stage for kids to develop a lifelong love of books that will help them become fluent, independent readers. Although everyone today is busy, we encourage parents — all of us here at LeapFrog, included! — to take a look at how they are spending their free time and use some of the minutes during which they may typically be online or watching TV to read with their children, sharing stories and books.”
One Million Hours of Reading
In celebration of National Reading Month, LeapFrog’s million hours reading initiative (leapfrog.com/readingmonth) also includes access to online resources to help foster more family reading, as well as valuable product discounts, coupons and a chance to win a Tag(TM) Reading System and ten Tag books in the Love of Reading Sweepstakes co-sponsored by Scholastic.
Once the 1 million hours goal is reached, LeapFrog will donate $50,000 worth of its Ready, Set, Leap!(TM) Pre-K literacy products to the Books for Kids Foundation, whose mission is to promote literacy among all children, with a special emphasis on low-income and at-risk preschool-aged children.
Building Reading Confidence and Fun
The best-selling Tag reader from LeapFrog is the first handheld learn-to-read system that works with real books to encourage a love of reading in kids. By simply touching the Tag reader anywhere on a Tag-enabled book, children can bring their favorite stories to life, hearing an entire story, individual words or fun sound effects embedded in the pictures, as well as playing fun learning games. Building early confidence in reading, the Tag handheld lets kids set the pace for their own reading experience.
In the first eight months of domestic availability, LeapFrog’s library of Tag books sold more than 1.2 million copies, including several children’s titles that have sold more than 100,000 copies each. Currently the Tag library comprises 21 books–including The Cat in the Hat, The Little Engine That Could and Miss Spider’s Tea Party — and new releases will increase the library to more than 30 books by the end of 2009.
Source: LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc.
Web Site: http://www.leapfrog.com/
