Decline of 'once upon a time...' as third of parents no longer reader a bedtime story to their children A study found that nearly half of kids would much rather watch TV, play with toys or computer games Parents blame a lack of time for not reading to them and 9 per cent claim they are 'too stressed' Atomic Kitten popstar Natasha Hamilton is helping launch a children's bedtime story competition for those aged up to seven The traditional bedtime story is dying out as a new study shows a third of parents never read their young children a story at night. Just 64 per cent of those with children under seven read to them at all. And of those, a mere one in five get a book out every night. The average child gets three bedtime stories a week, but five per cent do not own a single book (picture posed by models) The study shows the average modern day child gets three bedtime stories a week. But a quarter of a milllion children aged seven or under, or just under five per cent, do not own a single book. In contrast, 91 per cent of those parents said they were read regular stories as a child, according to the research by online family retailer Littlewoods.com. This has clearly had an impact as the vast majority of parents admit they see the importance of the bedtime ritual. Unfortunately, it seems many struggle to get their children interested in books. Atomic Kitten star Natasha Hamilton is helping launch a children's bedtime story competition - pictured here with husband Riad Erraji and sons Harry and Josh two years ago The study found that nearly half of kids would much rather watch TV, play with toys or computer games. Meanwhile, 13 per cent of parents blame a lack of time for not reading to them and 9 per cent claim they are 'too stressed'. Yet three quarters of them were read to every night of the week as children. In light of the findings, Littlewoods.com has teamed up with pop star Natasha Hamilton to launch a children's bedtime story competition. Children aged up to seven enter by creating their own tale as an illustrated storyboard showing their adventures with a magical friend. Atomic Kitten star Natasha, 31, said: 'As a mum of three, I know just how enjoyable reading bedtime stories to my kids is. 'Alfie is only three, so he especially loves me putting on different silly voices when I'm telling him stories before bed. 'I'm really excited to see all the different story ideas and can't wait to see what the kids come up with. Choosing a winner's not going to be easy.' In contrast, businessman David Hodges, 48, admits he struggled to find time to read to his two children. Mr Hodges, of Southampton, Hants, said: 'I tended to get back too late from work and the children were already in bed. If they were lucky their mother had time to read them a story but it could be a real struggle to get them both fed and ready for bed in time. Gary Kibble, Retail Brand Director at Littlewoods.com, said: 'We appreciate how important it is for parents and kids to spend quality time together, and bedtime stories are a great way to do just this. The fact one in three parents feel they could and should spend more time reading with their kids felt like the perfect opportunity to launch this new campaign. The more excited we can get children and parents about writing and drawing, hopefully the more they will want to read together at home.