Children - Informal arts participation

About three-quarters of all Australian children read for pleasure, according to two surveys conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Children’s informal activities, outside of school hours(a)

Activity	Number of children aged 5–14 years	Participation rate (%)
Watch television, videos or DVDs	2,596,000	97.4
Homework or other study	2,209,100	82.9
Read for pleasure	1,984,000	74.5
Bike ride	1,806,200	67.8
Play electronic or computer games	1,695,800	63.6
Art and craft	1,309,100	49.1
Skateboard or rollerblade	627,800	23.6

(a) Activities in the two weeks prior to interview in April 2006.

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Children’s Participation in Cultural and Leisure Activities, Australia, April 2006 (cat. no. 4901.0).

In 2006, girls were more avid readers than boys; 80 per cent of girls read for pleasure compared to 69 per cent of boys. These reading statistics are largely the same as those found in 2003.

Boys were more likely to take part in physical activities such as bike riding, skateboarding and rollerblading, and were less likely to take part in art or craft activities.