The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and SM Prime Holdings are encouraging parents to read to their children to address the declining reading habits of Filipinos. UNICEF Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer Martin Porter spoke at the National Children’s Book Reading Day event at the SM Mall of Asia, emphasizing the role of parents in developing healthy reading habits in children. “My parents used to read to me when I was a little kid and it helped develop in me the habit of reading,” the UNICEF officer shared. SM Cares Director of the Program on Children and Youth, Mr. Royston Cabunag affirmed the love of reading is developed early on and parents play a key role in its development. “Research has shown that children whose parents read to them and who themselves read regularly develop the love of reading. This is the reason why parents should make time to be with their children, read to them so that it becomes habit-forming,” the SM Cares director pointed out. According to the National Book Development Board (NBDB) Readership Survey of 2012, 88% or a Total of 49.2 million Filipino adults read though it is declining: 94% in 2003, 92% in 2007 and 88% in 2012. The NBDB 2012 Readership Survey also shows that more and more Filipinos are beginning to read NSB at a much younger age, starting as early as 0 to 6 years old, with the majority of adult readers saying they started reading NSB between the ages of 7 Read More …
