Almost half of UK kids will grow up without ever hearing a bedtime story, a new survey reports. The study for Silentnight Beds says that an average of 47 per cent of kids listen to music or watch TV rather than having a story from their parents. Dads are the worst culprits, as just 13 per cent regularly read to their children, compared to 46 per cent of mums.

Child Psychologist, Dr Pat Spungin said, "The benefits of bedtime reading from an early age are evident with 38 per cent of children going on to read for themselves before bed - this is a healthy routine to get in to as it will improve their creativity, reading and writing skills, not to mention help them to relax and sleep better."

Steven Simpson from Silentnight adds, "Bedtime should be an enjoyable experience for people of all ages - for children, its important that they associate their beds with a positive experience from an early age - reading a story and spending some quality time with your children is the perfect way to do this."