Sir, – The findings outlined in the landmark study Children's School Lives, undertaken by UCD's School of Education and which involved 4,000 children in almost 200 schools, saddened me (Carl O'Brien, "Just 10 to 30 minutes a day for children's remote learning amid lockdown, says study", News, December 11th).
While it was good to see that so many children have access to computer and digital devices at home and were involved in after-school activities and sport, it was the alarming mention of rising anxiety and the fact that two-thirds of children in second class were never or rarely read to that are truly concerning.
Most children in second class are only starting to read, so it is so hard to imagine them at seven or eight not having that comfort and closeness as they settle down to sleep of listening to a parent or someone in the family take that few minutes read to them.
No matter what age they are, most children love to pick out a book and have that goodnight story read for them.
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Reading for homework and school is very different from reading a good book that fuels the imagination and has characters that live on in a child’s heart.
This Christmas I urge parents, grandparents, godparents and friends, all searching for that perfect present for a child, to pick up a book, a fabulous new one or a classic or an old favourite from your own childhood, and give it to them.
Even better, make the time to sit down, open the book and begin to read to them. – Yours, etc,
MARITA
CONLON- MCKENNA,
Blackrock,
Co Dublin.