Proven benefits of parent‐to‐child reading

Did you know?

Daily reading to children gives them a rock‐solid advantage in life

Research is clear. Spending daily reading time with your children early on and through their teen years can have a major impact on multiple facets of their lives. While significant improvements in literacy and cognitive abilities are high on the list, it can positively influence emotional and social skills, result in greater future career success, and facilitate learning in other educational subjects. Additionally, some research indicates that spending only six minutes a day reading to a child can potentially have an immense positive impact.¹

Here's what research and various sources say about the benefits ofparent‐to‐child reading:

• Reading to young children promotes language acquisition and is linked with literacy development and future achievement in reading comprehension and overall success in school.²
• The specific experience of being read to during the early years has long-term educational benefits that traverse the academic lifespan.²
• Parents and caregivers are crucial to providing our students with the best possible education… Research shows that when families and communities are involved in their children's education, students attend school more regularly, stay in school longer, and perform at higher levels.³
• Exposure to words is the single most important thing that you can do to help build the language pathways in your child's brain.⁴
• Reading and exposure to words helps kids maximize their language and cognitive capacity.⁴
• A few minutes of reading together gives both you and your child a chance to slow down, connect with each other, and share an enjoyable activity.⁴
• Reading books with relatable themes can lead to meaningful conversations about what’s happening in their lives.⁴
• Parental involvement in your child's literacy practices is a more powerful force than other family background variables, such as social class, family size and level of parental education.⁵
• Parental involvement in their child's reading has been found to be the most important determinant of language and emergent literacy.⁵
• Books that reflect different cultures and family experiences give children a window into the diverse world we live in.⁶
• Reading aloud can help children develop social‐emotional skills, such as empathy, understanding big emotions, and problem-solving.⁶
• Reading aloud is a great way to bond with your child.⁶

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