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A new study is suggestingthat reading with your childearly on may be associated with gentler parenting and have a positive impact on juvenile behavior.
The results, published in theJournal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, came after researchers investigated 2,165 mother-child pairs and discovered that reading together at ages 1 and 3 were associated with “less harsh parenting” later, at ages 3 and 5, respectively.
Additionally, when interviewed at a later date, the mothers who read with their children more often reported fewer “disruptive behaviors” than their counterparts.
“These findingssuggest that shared readingcontributes to an important aspect of the parent-child relationship and that some of the association operates through enhanced child behaviors,” the study notes.
Mom reading with child.Getty
The lead researcher on the study —Dr. Manuel Jimenez, an attending developmental behavioral pediatrician at Children’s Specialized Hospital and assistant professor at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School’s Department of Pediatrics — spoke toRutgers Todayabout what the conclusions mean for moms and dads.
“For parents, the simple routine of reading with your child on a daily basis provides not just academic but emotional benefits that can help bolster the child’s success in school and beyond,” he said.
“Our findings can be applied to programs that help parents and caregivers in underserved areas to develop positive parenting skills,” Dr. Jimenez added.
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According to the results, “parents andtoddlers verbalized less with electronicbooks, and collaboration was lower.” (From 2011 to 2014, Americans who read electronic books rose from 17 to 28 percent, according to data from thePew Research Center.)
“Future studies should examine specific aspects of tablet-book design that support parent-child interaction,” the study continued. “Pediatricians may wish to continuepromoting shared reading of print books, particularly for toddlers and younger children.”
source: people.com
