Almost two-thirds of children want their parents to spend more time reading to them before bed, and most prefer Mum's storytelling to Dad's, researchers said.

They conducted a study that showed younger children aged¹ 3-4 were most hungry for more stories, with over three-quarters saying they wished their parents read to them more often.

More than half of all children aged 3-8 said story time was their favourite pastime with their parents.

"The results of our research confirm the traditional activity of storytelling continues to be a powerful learning and emotional resource in children's lives," said child psychologist Richard Woolfson.

Storytelling ranked higher than television or video games among pastimes for kids, and 82 percent said reading a story with their parents helped them sleep better, according the survey of 500 children aged 3-8 in Britain.

The best storytellers were mothers who used funny voices to illustrate² different characters or made their own special sound effects to keep the story moving, researchers said.

When mum and dad are not at hand, celebrities³ will do: over 30 percent of children said they would like to hear a bedtime story from Harry⁴ Potter star Daniel Radcliffe, with teen idols⁵ Zac Efron, Miley Cyrus and Emma Watson trailing close behind.

"It can be very difficult for parents to find the time to read with their children, but these moments can help build strong bonds and play a vital part in their child's development," said Woolfson.

有研究人员称，近三分之二的儿童睡前想让家长花更多时间给他们讲故事，并且大部分儿童喜欢让妈妈而不是爸爸来讲。

研究人员开展的此项调查发现，三至四岁的小宝宝最想多听故事，超过四分之三的小宝宝称希望家长更经常给他们讲故事。

在三至八岁儿童中，超过半数表示和家长在一起时，他们最喜欢的游戏就是听父母讲故事。

儿童心理学家理查德•沃尔夫森说：“研究结果表明，在孩子的生活里，讲故事这种传统活动仍是强大的知识和情感来源。”

根据一项针对五百名年龄为三至八岁的英国儿童调查，在游戏活动榜单上，讲故事排名高于看电视和打游戏。82%的受访儿童称，和家长一起讲故事使他们睡得更香。

研究人员称，孩子最喜欢听妈妈讲故事，她们使用有趣的声音来给不同的角色“配音”，或者使用自己发出的“特殊音效”来展开故事情节。

当爸爸妈妈都不在时，明星来讲故事也不错：超过30%的儿童称，他们睡前想听《哈里•波特》中的明星丹尼尔.•雷德克里夫讲故事，青少年偶像扎克•埃夫隆、麦莉•赛勒斯和艾玛•沃特森紧随其后。

沃尔夫森说：“家长很难找到时间和孩子一起讲故事，但讲故事可以建立紧密的亲子关系，对孩子的成长至关重要。”

Vocabulary:

pastime：something that serves to make time pass agreeably; a pleasant means of amusement, recreation, or sport（消遣，娱乐）

at hand：within reach; nearby; close by（在附近，在手边）