They Say: Happy Kids Mean Better Readers
In 2005, Freakonimics authors Stephen J. Dubner and Steven D. Levitt made the controversial claim that reading to children doesn’t make them better readers.
Instead, they listed a number of factors that had an impact on reading: high socioeconomic status and highly educated parents, for example. In short, your child’s reading success was based more on who your were rather than what you did.
According to a new study out of Ohio University, they were at least half right: Genetics do play a large part in early reading development, say researchers there. But parents of poor readers shouldn’t be discouraged, because they also found that a supportive environment can help all readers make good gains.
So what does a supportive environment look like? According to HealthDay news, it included quality instruction in school, good nutrition, being read to (what do you make of that, Freakonomics guys?), and being well cared for by parents.
Teachers everywhere are groaning, because this is what they’ve been saying for years. Kids learn best when they’re rested, fed, stress-free, and have support from their parents.
Researchers found that no matter where the kindergarten and first grade children in their study started, growth in learning skills was nearly completely dependent on these environmental factors.
So learning begins at home. Not really surprising finding, but one that may give parents of struggling young students hope, while at the same time letting the powers who control funding and programs like No Child Left Behind understand that even students of the most talented teachers need good family support to learn.
What do you think?
More by this author:
They Say: Should Obesity Be a Factor in IVF?
Haiti – Six Ways Your Family Can Lend a Helping Hand
Scott Brown – Most Embarrassing Dad Ever (VIDEO)
Boy Genius Shuts Down School with Science Project
Italian Dad Ordered to Pay Adult Daughter Allowance
Pampers Dry Max Diapers Creating Online Dust-Up
Texas Gives Long-Haired Boy a Compromise: Braids
Hardcore Baby “Rocks” Himself to Sleep
TSA Takes Away 3-year-old’s Playdough
When my daughters were still toddlers my wife worked evenings, so it was up to me to take care of their end of day needs. I started reading their children books nightly, one for each. After a while, I began to change some words as I read to them, but they caught me. I tried that with new books, ones they could not have memorized, and they caught me. I was convinced, still am, that reading on a regular basis, and I pointed to the words as I read, is the reasonthat they nev er had trouble in school, and that both went on and earned degrees at college. Reading encourages them, but I think it’s the personal relationships that develop that benefits them the most. “You and I are reading together.”, I guess.
The Freakonomics guys are buffoons. Every time I read something from that latest book, it’s somebody proving it wrong.
My son reads with either me or his father every day. We read aloud to him from the moment we brought him home from the hospital. He also sees us reading a lot. Reading aloud to kids can have benefits even into their teens: an education expert on the topic here.
[...] for all the talk of keeping kids reading, there’s one thing parents are forgetting: good writers make healthy [...]