Is there any evidence to support reading to your child makes him/her a better reader?

Question

Teachers often say that reading "to" or "with" your child when they are young makes them better readers and increases their love of books in general. Is their any evidence, other than anecdotal, to support this claim? Has any university ever studied this phenomenon? I personally believe it to be unfounded but teachers continue to spew it at parent teacher meetings and other venues. It may be a great way to bond with your kids, but that's not my question.

Answer 1

What's to study?

Kids learn to read by looking at words while someone else reads the words to them while pointing at them.

If this is not done, the kid will not learn to read at all.

If it is done, most kids will, in their own time, learn to read.

How do you expect your child to learn to read if nobody shows him/her what the association between spoken words and black squiggles on a page is?

I mean, come on. If you don't read to your child they won't become a reader at all. It's like asking whether there's any evidence that being in water makes children better swimmers.

Once they can read, though? I haven't read to my son since he was four. He can read far faster to himself, so he enjoys it more!

Answer 2

http://www.nifl.gov/partnershipforreadin...

http://www.nea.org/parents/index.html

(check additional three links on the bottom of the page after you read the article for more studies)

Answer 3

So...you're trying to get out of reading to your kids.

Of course reading to them or with them would help them with reading skills, as well as speech, sentence structure, grammar...etc, etc, etc.

It helps kids learn the cadence of speech, and when they are old enough, you can run your finger under the word as you read...it helps them to hear the word and see it at the same time...

Doesn't take a rocket scientist...

Answer 4

I have read to my daughter from birth... she could spell basic words at 2 and she could write her name plus mum and dad. (I read and pointed, and we looked at the pictures in great detail together).

She talked early, and could hold a conversation by the time she was 1.

By the time she got to pre-school, she could read, she could write, she knew all colours and the alphabet plus she could count to 50.

By grade 3 she was reading books intended for the older grades. (Grade 5 & 6).

Now she enjoys reading, (She's grade 7) and often we find her reading a book. (She spells words, that I have to look up the meaning of - and always gets 20 out of 20 for her spelling tests)

So yeah... reading to your child makes him/her a better reader.

Answer 5

I think it all depends on the kids.  We have always read to our kids, with our kids and I have always been a big reader and the kids see me with a book most night before bed.  Our oldest is also a fan of reading, the middle one does what she has to and no more and the youngest will fight you every step of the way to keep from reading.  All raised the same way and all different on their love of reading.  I dont need a survey to tell me it is all a bunch af bull and the kid will read if they want no matter what.  read the stories to your kid and try to get them interested but it is no guarantee.