We all know that reading is fundamental to vocabulary and reading development. But a new study puts into quantifiable terms just how important daily reading at home is to exposing children to words and language.
The “million word gap”
A recent study in the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics found that young children whose parents read them five books per day will enter kindergarten having heard about 1.4 million more words than kids who were never read to.
According to Jessica Loga, lead author of the study and assistant professor of educational studies at Ohio State University, this “million word gap” could be a key factor in understanding the differences in vocabulary and reading development.
“Kids who hear more vocabulary words are going to be better prepared to see those words in print when they enter school,” said Logan.
It’s “Shocking” How Many Parents Rarely Read To Their Kids
The impetus for this study came from a previous study that found that about one-fourth of children in a national sample were never read to and another quarter were seldom read to.
“The fact that we had so many parents who said they never or seldom read to their kids was pretty shocking to us,” said Logan. “We wanted to figure out what that might mean for their kids.”
Reading Prepares Kids For School
The impact of the vocabulary word gap is that when children school those who have heard more vocabulary words are more prepared to see those words in print in class, which makes them more likely to pick up reading skills more quickly and easily.
It is also important to distinguish between vocabulary learned in regular conversation versus reading books. The words kids hear in books are typically going to be more complex than those they hear in conversation with family members at home.
For example, a children’s book may be about lions in Africa. This would introduce a bevy of words and concepts that probably don’t come up in normal conversation.
“The words kids hear from books may have special importance in learning to read,” said Logan.
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