How to Read
Cognitive Benefits of Reading to Children from Infancy to Preschool
Author’s Note
I wrote this short literature review for my Cognitive Development class. This paper was part of a quarter-long term project that involved summarizing cognitive development research for an academic audience and then translating those findings for a lay audience. Because of the requirements of the term project, this paper, even though it’s mostly academic, makes practical recommendations for parents. As such, in the spirit of creating accessible scientific writing for the general public, I tried my best to create engaging prose while still honoring the conventions of scientific writing.
Abstract
Parents often hear that they need to read to their children—but why? In the present literature review, I synthesize four empirical research articles to argue that reading to toddlers and preschoolers supports their development in language skills, comprehension, vocabulary, and other cognitive domains. More importantly, I provide the factors parents should consider when selecting materials to read and strategies parents can use when reading to their children. First, I explore research conducted with toddlers that suggests that parents should consider the literacy-building materials their children are exposed to (Rodriguez et al., 2009; Simcock & DeLoache, 2006). I then examine research conducted with preschoolers that suggests that parents should consider not only what literacy-building materials parents should expose their preschoolers to but also how they expose them to literacy-building materials (Blewitt and Langan, 2016; Horst et al., 2011). I close by discussing a future direction for research on reading in childhood.
Keywords: literacy, reading, language, comprehension, vocabulary
I modeled my abstract and keywords on the example below. If you get mad because I used first-person pronouns in academic writing, don’t blame me. Blame Hammond and Drummond (2019). Plus, I’d much rather write in the first person than write in the passive voice, so… 🤷♂️
How to Read: Cognitive Benefits of Reading to Children from Infancy to Preschool
Parents are often advised to read to their children from infancy onward. This is because reading is an essential skill that any child will need to give them a solid foundation for their intellectual development. Now, while some parents may question why they should read to their children even though they do not appear to understand language fully, a review of recent research in cognitive development suggests that it is in a parent’s best interest to read to their child, especially in their child’s toddler and preschool years. Rodriguez et al. (2009) and Simcock and DeLoache (2006) examined how the learning materials that are available to toddlers are associated with improved language abilities and comprehension. Moreover, Blewitt and Langan (2016) and Horst et al. (2011) studied strategies that parents might employ when reading to their preschoolers to help boost their vocabulary. Taken together, these studies suggest that parents should read to toddlers and preschoolers to support their developing literacy skills.
Exposing Toddlers to Literacy
In a longitudinal study, Rodriguez et al. (2009) investigated how different literacy activities, quality of maternal engagement, and availability of learning materials (e.g., books, media, etc.) all predict a toddler’s language and cognitive abilities.
The researchers gathered a sample of mother–child pairs from predominantly low-income backgrounds. Each toddler was studied at ages 14 months, 24 months, and 46 months. The study involved interviewers visiting the house of each mother–child pair. First, the participants were asked how frequently they engaged in various literacy activities (e.g., reading to their child, singing nursery rhymes, learning the alphabet) with their child and had to respond via a six-point Likert scale. The participants were also asked to submit a 10-minute video of mother–child play. Each video was then coded by raters for various components of maternal engagement on a seven-point Likert scale. Finally, availability of learning materials was assessed using a 45-minute video interview with each mother–child pair and the interviewer’s observations of the child’s environment. More specifically, the interviewer assessed the number of books and the number and type of toys that each child had in their environment. After, the researchers measured each child’s language and cognitive abilities using three tests: the Bayley Mental Development Index (MDI), the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventories Short Form (CDI), and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, Third Edition (PPVT-III).
Rodriguez et al. (2009) found consistent, statistically significant, positive relationships between each of the three predictors (literacy activities, quality of maternal engagement, and provision of learning materials) and each of the three outcome measures (MDI, CDI, and PPVT-III) across all three age groups. Put more simply, for toddlers, a richer exposure to literacy is related to better language and cognitive abilities. However, while the study suggests that a richer exposure to literacy is related to better language and cognitive abilities, it does not claim that a richer exposure to literacy directly improves language and cognitive abilities. Nevertheless, it may still be in parents’ best interest to expose their children to material that supports their literacy skills. It would not hurt for parents to enrich their child’s environment with literacy-building materials if it might help them learn new words, sharpen their memory, and improve their problem-solving abilities.
Helping Toddlers Learn from Picture Books
However, while Rodriguez et al. (2009) suggest that exposure to literacy and language ability are related, one must also consider the types of learning materials that most effectively help a child improve their comprehension. Simcock and DeLoache (2006) studied how the type of illustrations used in picture books affects how a toddler comprehends them.
The researchers studied 18-month-olds, 24-month-olds, and 30-month-olds. Participants in each age group were divided evenly into three conditions: photograph, color drawing, and control. In the two experimental groups (photograph and color drawing) the experimenter read a picture book to each participant, making sure to point to each illustration as she read. The illustrations those children saw were either photographs or color drawings, depending on the condition they were assigned. The children in the control group, on the other hand, never saw the picture book. The picture book detailed the steps that Sandy the protagonist followed to make a rattle and included three target actions that the researchers would be looking for later when they ask the participants to reenact the story. After reading the story to the children in the experimental groups, the experimenter placed the components of a rattle in front of the participants and asked them to create a rattle themselves, without looking at the picture book for reference. Each participant was then given a reenactment score based on how well the participants reenacted the three target actions.
All three age groups scored significantly better than the control group when they were given photographs as illustrations. However, when they were given color drawings as illustrations, only the 24-month-olds and 30-month-olds scored significantly better than the control group. More importantly, however, the participants in the photographs scored better, on average, than the participants in the color drawings group. But while photographs seem to be a more effective accompaniment to a story, both photographs and color drawings can successfully help toddlers comprehend a story. Given this information, parents may want to consider the types of illustrated books they purchase for their children depending on their age. Younger children might learn more easily from books that have photographs, while older children seem to learn adequately from books with color drawings.
Encouraging Preschoolers to Engage with Books
As a child moves from their toddler years to their preschool years, reading becomes ever so important. Thus, parents should be reading alongside their preschoolers. Preschoolers continue to learn as they read, just as they did when they were toddlers. It is not just important, though, for parents to read to their preschoolers but to also engage with them as they read by asking them questions about the story and responding enthusiastically when their preschooler answers those questions. Blewitt and Langan (2016) investigated how the amount of engagement that an adult elicits when they read a storybook to a preschooler affects the preschooler’s vocabulary.
The study involved having an experimenter read three storybooks in random order to 3–4-year-old participants. Each storybook contained four of six target words—which were words that were unfamiliar to the participants at the beginning of the study—and illustrations that included depictions of each target word. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions. In the low-engagement condition, the experimenter would point out where the depiction of each target word was in the illustrations. In the moderate-engagement condition, the experimenter would ask the participants to point out where each target word was depicted in the illustrations and then respond neutrally. Finally, in the high-engagement condition, the experimenter would ask the participants to point out where each target word was depicted in the illustrations and then respond with more responsive, enthusiastic feedback. After the reading sessions, Blewitt and Langan (2016) measured how well the participants learned the six target words via a definition test and a comprehension test. The definition test involved having the participant tell the experimenter as much as they could about each target word, while the comprehension test involved having the participant identify the picture of each target word from an array of four pictures.
The researchers found that participants in the high-engagement condition scored the highest on the definition and comprehension tests compared to the participants in the low-engagement and moderate-engagement conditions. Now, Blewitt and Langan (2016) do note that the study is limited because all target words used in the study were concrete nouns and all participants were of medium to high socioeconomic status. This means that the findings may not generalize to other parts of speech or to participants of low socioeconomic status. Blewitt and Langan also note that, while they did manipulate how experimenters tried to invite the participants to engage, they did not measure the participants’ engagement directly. Nevertheless, their findings suggest that more engaged readers learn new words more easily. As such, it is a good idea for parents to encourage high engagement as they read to their children. For example, parents might ask their child questions as they read to invite them to engage with the text (e.g., “Where is the ball in this picture?”) and respond to their child enthusiastically when the child shows engagement (e.g., “Yes! That is the ball. Great job!”).
Rereading and its Benefits to Preschoolers
In addition to creating opportunities for their children to engage with a book, parents of preschoolers may consider rereading books that they have previously read. Horst et al. (2011) examined the effect of rereading picture books on vocabulary acquisition in preschoolers.
The study had 3-year-old participants, who were randomly assigned to one of two conditions. In the same-stories condition, the participants heard the same story three times. In the different-stories condition, on the other hand, the participants heard three different stories. Regardless of which condition the participants were assigned, however, all stories that they read had the same two name–object pairs. This process was then repeated twice, with around three days between visits and two new name–object pairs for each visit. Right after each reading session, the researchers measured how well the participants had learned the words by giving the participants an array of four objects and asking them to point to the target object when they were given its name. The experimenters repeated this process with different arrays, making sure that the target object appeared in at least two of the arrays. On the final visit, the participants were also asked to complete this same recall process for the four name–object pairs they had learned over their first two visits.
Horst et al. (2011) found that the participants in the same stories condition recalled the name–object pairs more accurately than the participants in the different stories condition, regardless of whether they were tested on those name–object pairs right after the reading session or on the last visit. These findings show that rereading storybooks can support children’s vocabulary acquisition effectively. In other words, it is not just repeated exposure to names and objects that helps children learn new words. It is also helpful for them to encounter name–object pairs in the same context over and over for their new vocabulary to stick.
Conclusions
These four studies indicate that reading to children from infancy to early childhood helps them learn language quickly. For this to happen, parents should consider what they should read to their children and how they should read to them. Rodriguez et al. (2009) and Simcock and DeLoache (2006) suggest that parents should expose toddlers to materials that will support their vocabulary and comprehension. Moreover, Blewitt and Langan (2016) show that parents must engage their preschoolers as they read, and Horst et al. (2011) demonstrate that repeated exposure to texts and new vocabulary helps preschoolers retain new vocabulary over time.
While these findings have clear implications for parenting, it is important to note that the results from these studies investigated different populations of participants and thus may not apply to other populations. For example, Rodriguez et al. (2009) and Simcock and DeLoache (2006) studied toddlers within the 14- to 46-month-old range, while Blewitt and Langan (2016) and Horst et al. (2011) studied children in the 3- to 4-year-old range. As such, the findings from Rodriguez et al. and Simcock and DeLoache may not apply to older children, and the findings from Blewitt and Langan and Horst et al. may not apply to younger children. Future research in this area might try to replicate these studies with children in other age groups. Nevertheless, these studies demonstrate that the rewards of reading to one’s children cannot be overstated. After all, a child built by books is a child built for success.
References
Blewitt, P., & Langan, R. (2016). Learning words during shared book reading: The role of extratextual talk designed to increase child engagement. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 150, 404–410. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2016.06.009
Horst, J. S., Parsons, K. L., & Bryan, N. M. (2011). Get the story straight: Contextual repetition promotes word learning from storybooks. Frontiers in Psychology, 2, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2011.00017
Rodriguez, E. T., Tamis-LeMonda, C. S., Spellmann, M. E., Pan, B. A., Raikes, H., Lugo-Gil, J., & Luze, G. (2009). The formative role of home literacy experiences across the first three years of life in children from low-income families. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 30(6), 677–694. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2009.01.003
Simcock, G., & DeLoache, J. (2006). Get the picture? The effects of iconicity on toddlers’ reenactment from picture books. Developmental Psychology, 42(6), 1352–1357. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.42.6.1352