Children who like to read develop a lifelong enjoyment of reading and do better academically. A recent study from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, evaluated a strategy to encourage reading and factors that influence parent-infant book sharing.
The parents of half of the over 300 infants four to seven months old in the study received counseling about reading and a free book at each well baby office visit. The other half received nutritional counseling and a non-book gift.
At age 15 months, the parent-child pairs who had received the reading counseling and free books were significantly more likely to book share (parents reading to children) than parents who received the non-book gift. In addition, these children were more likely to be read to at bedtime (30% vs. 19%), more likely to have reading as their favorite activity (28% vs. 15%), and spoke more words.
A different analysis of the same data found that a number of factors negatively influenced how much infants and toddlers liked books and reading. Mothers who are not frequent readers, more children in the family, and being male lessened the chances the child liked reading. The number of books in the house had no influence on reading.
Early reading to children, even before they can understand what's being read to them, helps them develop a lifelong appreciation of reading and books.
Pediatric Notes, 6/12/03, pp. 93-94.
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