How reading and writing with your child boost more than just literacy

Children who read and write at home — whether for assignments or just for fun — are building long-term study and executive function skills, according to a paper from the University of Washington.

And while home literacy activities have already been associated with higher test scores, the new study shows these activities also provide students with tools for lifetime success.

“People who are good students tend to become good employees by being on time and putting forward their best work. All of the things that make you a good student also make you a good employee,” said Nicole Alston-Abel, a Federal Way Public Schools psychologist who conducted the study while pursuing her doctorate at the UW.  “If you make sure your child is academically engaged at home through third grade, kids go on autopilot — they know how to ‘do’ school after that.”

Alston-Abel analyzed data collected by co-author Virginia Berninger, UW emeritus professor of education, who conducted a five-year longitudinal study of academic performance in grades one through seven. As part of that study, Berninger sent home questionnaires asking parents if, and how, they helped their children with reading and writing; Alston-Abel, a former primary teacher, then compared the responses with students’ academic performance.

Read more at washington.edu.