Read a child 5 books a day theyll hear 1.4 million words by kindergarten

Read a child 5 books a day theyll hear 1.4 million words by kindergartenRead a child 5 books a day theyll hear 1.4 million words by kindergartenHeres another argument to take screens away from babies and toddlers reading five books a day to your kid in the years before they enter kindergarten means theyll have heard 1.4 million more words than kids that were never read to. Mic drop.Thats according to a new study published in the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics.Lead author and assistant professor of educational studies at Ohio State University Jessica Logan calls it the million-word gap, and says it could explain discrepancies in vocabulary and reading advancement.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreThe results of the study, which used data from 60 popular childrens books in order to estimate the number of words that children are exposed to when theyre read to, c oncluded that parents who read one picture book with their children every day exposed them to about 78,000 words a year. Over the 5 years, before they entered kindergarten, researchers estimated that kids from highly literate households (meaning they were read five books a day) heard a cumulative 1.4 million more words from being read to than children who were never read to.These books arent Ivanhoe think simple board books through their 3rd birthday and picture books after that.Kids who hear more vocabulary words are going to be better prepared to see those words in print when they enter school, said Logan, in a release. They are likely to pick up reading skills more quickly and easily.Logans research was inspired by her earlier work, which found that 25% of children in a national sample were never read to, and another 25% were read to only once or twice a week.Heres how many words kids will have heard by their 5th birthday based on how much they were read toNever read to 4,662Rea d to 1-2 times per week 63,570Read to 3-5 times per week 169,520Read to daily 296,660Read to daily (5 books a day) 1,483,300According to the results of this study, parents who only speak to their children instead of adding reading are doing them a disservice when it comes to literacy. Being read to is different and more important than simply overhearing speech, Logan says.This isnt about everyday communication, she says. The words kids hear in books are going to be much more complex, difficult words than they heard just talking to their parents and others in the home.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people