Rakuten Books Announces Results of 'Parent-Child Reading Aloud Survey' in Conjunction with Children's Reading Week

Rakuten Books, an online bookstore operated by Rakuten Group, Inc. (hereinafter 'Rakuten'), announced the results of a survey on 'parent-child reading aloud' conducted among 1,354 Rakuten Books users in conjunction with 'Children's Reading Week' (Note) starting on Thursday, April 23. Furthermore, they released a recommended picture book list supervised by 'Ren-mama', an influencer who shares ideas for picture book time and intellectual training to enjoy with parents and children on Instagram.

In addition, Rakuten Books will exhibit for the second consecutive year at the 'Ueno no Mori Parent-Child Book Festa 2026', held at Ueno Park in Tokyo for two days on May 4 (Monday, Holiday) and May 5 (Tuesday, Holiday). The 'Ueno no Mori Parent-Child Book Festa' is a reading promotion event that started in 2000 as a commemorative project for the 'Year of Children's Reading'. It plans to feature book sales at special appreciation prices by publishers and host various lectures. At the Rakuten Books booth, visitors can enjoy an 'original bookmark making' experience with their children, and tote bags featuring Rakuten's official character 'Okaimono Panda' will be distributed as novelty items.

■□ Survey Results Summary □■

- Over 70% of parents feel they 'secure enough' communication time with their children. Conversely, about half voice a desire to 'make it more fulfilling'.
- The mainstream approach to reading aloud is not 'long durations' but 'short durations × consistency'. Over 70% answered that their reading time per session is 'within 10 minutes'.
- 90% of parents who currently read aloud answered that 'reading aloud is useful for parent-child communication', making it a positive time not only for children but also for parents. The challenges are 'securing time' and 'improving content'.
- Parents and children who practice reading aloud showed a roughly 1.3 times higher sense of fulfillment in parent-child communication compared to those who do not.

■□ Survey Results Overview □■

■ Over 70% of parents feel they 'secure enough' communication time with their children. Conversely, about half voice a desire to 'make it more fulfilling'
When users who answered 'I am raising a child' were asked 'Do you feel you secure enough communication time with your child normally?', over 70% answered 'I strongly feel so' or 'I somewhat feel so'. On the other hand, when asked how they feel about communicating with their children, 46.8% said 'I want to make the time with my child more fulfilling', and 33.6% noted 'I am busy, and it's hard to take time to engage slowly', revealing opinions that securing time is difficult.

■ The mainstream approach to reading aloud is not 'long durations' but 'short durations × consistency'. Over 70% answered that their reading time per session is 'within 10 minutes'
When users who answered 'I read books aloud to my child' were asked about their weekly frequency, 62.6% in total answered 'almost every day' or '4 to 6 times a week', showing that more than half conduct reading sessions more than half the week. Regarding the reading time per session, 74.5% of the total answered 'less than 5 minutes' or 'about 5 to 10 minutes'.

■ 90% of parents who currently read aloud answered that 'reading aloud is useful for parent-child communication', making it a positive time not only for children but also for parents. The challenges are 'securing time' and 'improving content'
When users who answered 'I currently read aloud' were asked 'Is reading aloud useful for parent-child communication?', 99.6% answered 'useful'. Regarding 'changes in children through reading aloud', 68.6% cited 'became interested in books' and 55.6% said 'words and expressions increased'. Regarding 'the good points of reading aloud felt by the parents themselves', the most common was 'it provides a chance to know the child's interests/concerns' (67.0%), followed by 'I myself feel healed or happy' (44.4%), showing it is a positive time for parents too. In questions about challenges, 'cannot secure time' (33.2%), 'end up reading the same books' (28.1%), and 'do not know which books suit the child's age or development' (25.1%) were cited, showing an awareness of wanting to improve time management and content quality.

■ Parents and children who practice reading aloud showed a roughly 1.3 times higher sense of fulfillment in parent-child communication compared to those who do not
Looking at the correlation between reading aloud practices and the sense of fulfillment in parent-child communication time, 83.5% of those who answered 'currently practicing' chose 'strongly feel' or 'somewhat feel' fulfilled, revealing that the proportion of people feeling fulfilled is about 1.3 times higher than those who answered 'rarely ever do it'.

Furthermore, at Rakuten Books, in conjunction with 'Children's Reading Week'...