Shared book reading at home and at school prior to and since the COVID-19 outbreak

Two studies examined the extent of shared-book-reading with young children during routine days and after the COVID-19 outbreak in Israel. Study 1 examined parent-child shared-book-reading at home (615 parents).
Study 2 explored the extent and patterns of first and second grade teachers' shared book reading practices in class during routine days, and on Zoom following the COVID-19 outbreak (139 teachers). The results revealed that at home, parent-child shared-book-reading during routine days is quite frequent, yet during the pandemic lockdown, parents read even more frequently to their children. At school, during routine days only half of first-grade and one-quarter
of second-grade teachers read daily and they did so with the whole class. During COVID-19, almost all teachers held short, digital reading sessions with small groups. The COVID-19 constraints created a beneficial reality for shared reading with children. This should be adopted during routine days at home and in school.