Blogger: Rachel Kent
I came across an article about a 2015 Harvard University study that showed that when a father reads to a child it leads to more advanced language development than when a mother reads to a child–especially for girls. I think this is fascinating and surprising! I take pride in my reading ability and I feel like I engage my children in the books by my reading style. I guess it is still better for my husband to do the bedtime reading? At least as far as encouraging language development goes, anyway. Maybe a mother’s reading leads to an advancement in something else?
The study found that men are more likely to engage children in abstract conversation while reading. Saying things like:
“‘Oh look, a ladder. Do you remember when I had that ladder in my truck?’ That is great for children’s language development because they have to use their brains more. It’s more cognitively challenging.”
I do a lot of reading with my children before bedtime and I wonder if this leads to less stimulating conversation because I am tired by the time we are settling in to read a book. Maybe a dad would read with the child at a different time of day? I can’t figure out why dad vs. mom would make a difference!
I am very glad that reading is a big part of the routine in our house and I love that my children enjoy books with mom or dad–and occasionally both of us at the same time! And I think they are on track with language development. They are both readers and are reading at levels beyond their grade levels.
Do you have any thoughts on why it might be more beneficial for a dad to read to a child vs. a mom?
Did you grow up with a parent reading to you on a regular basis? Was it your dad or mom?
I searched around for a link to the actual study and I didn’t see it online. Sorry not to have that for you. Here is a link to another article referencing the study.
Getting an Agent to Read Your Entire Query
Rachel, that’s fascinating. My husband and I both read daily to our girls, but I will acknowledge that my husband was more fun. I tend to be more serious, a rule follower, and he colors outside the lines.
What a fascinating study. I have no idea why this would be true, and I don’t recall my father ever reading to me.
My mind went immediately to Ephesians 6:4 where Paul is speaking to fathers, and telling them to bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Western Christianity generally pushes this responsibility to the mothers, and I have always believed this to be an abdication of the father’s responsibility.
It is not the worst of pities,
much less some grand grey tragedy
that I’ve not been blessed with kiddies;
when grown, they’d look askance at me
and ask me why their bedtime stories
had more to do with beatnik chic
that with the adventure-glories
they heard about from friends each week,
and in reply I’d have to say
that examples should be set,
and that to find one’s proper way
it’s not the count of rules well-met,
but living days that are informal
and ninety degrees from normal.
Fascinating! Both of my parents read to me as a child, but my mother read far more often than my father, although he was often present to hear the story. Both my husband and I read to our sons, but I am much more likely to be the one to do it. He is there for the story, but when he reads, he falls asleep mid-story and starts mumbling things that are not on the page, ha! I wonder if fathers are more likely come to reading time fresh while mothers have often had many many child conversations through the day. Fathers do go off on tangents, and this appears to be part of their strength in this area. I’ll have to let my husband know that his rabbit trails are educational!
Years ago I read about a scientific study trying to determine which method of teaching reading was best. They interviewed the highest functioning students from the best rated universities in America and, to their surprise, discovered those students only had one thing in common: their parents had read to them all the time when they were little kids.
Both parents read to me. My mother read stories. My father reached for the encyclopedia and read factual information about people, places and things that came up for discussion. The bookshelf with the the dictionary and encyclopedias was within arm’s reach of the dining table.
Together, they taught me to read both for information and for fun.