The graph illustrates the proportions of children in the United States who engage in various activities before going to bed, across three different age groups.
Overall, reading is clearly the most common bedtime activity among children of all ages. By contrast, watching television and eating before bed are relatively uncommon, particularly among older children.
Looking first at the most popular activities, around 70% of children aged 4-5 read before sleeping, compared with approximately 60% in both the 1-3 and 6-8 age groups. Brushing teeth is also a widespread habit, especially among older children, with about half of those aged 6-8 doing so, while the figures for 4-5- and 1-3-year-olds stand at just over 40% and around 30% respectively. In addition, roughly one third of children in all age groups take a bath before bedtime.
Turning to the less common activities, watching television is most prevalent among 4-5-year-olds, at about 20%, compared with roughly 15% in the other two groups. Eating before bed is particularly associated with the youngest children, with 20% of those aged 1-3 doing so, which is double the proportion recorded for the older age groups.