21/10/2026
A fantastic year for reading! 📖✨
New research published by the National Literacy Trust explores how parents are supporting young children's literacy at home in 2026. For the first time since 2019, the National Literacy Trust research shows that daily engagement in chatting, playing and reading with their child has increased! 😁
Findings from the research show that 1 in 2 parents (51.0%) said they had read with their child every day in the past week, up from 45.9% in 2025, and that another 1 in 2 parents (52.0%) said they had sung songs, shared poems or nursery rhymes with their child every day in the past week, up from 46.3% in 2025.
With 2026 being the National Year of Reading, it feels only natural that we’re seeing such a wonderful rise in engagement. This year, Doncaster Libraries have taken part in the Growing Lifelong Readers activity, the Summer Reading Challenge, and have hosted weekly Rhyme Time sessions across the Borough. We’re proud of our ongoing partnership with the National Literacy Trust in Doncaster and hope to see this engagement continue to flourish across our Branch and Community Libraries.
Though this research indicates a fantastic growth in the engagement of activities known to support early literacy and learning with their child at home, the National Year of Literacy report that there are parents and carers who still face barriers in supporting their child’s early language and learning, with working patterns and the cost of activities commonly reported factors.
You can head to your local library to discover what activities that support early literacy and learning are available for you and your family today.
Find your nearest library here 👉 https://library.doncaster.gov.uk/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/MSGTRN/OPAC/HOME
