Most parents have a feeling that reading to their children is good for them. Researchers have spent decades checking that feeling, and the evidence is reassuring. Here is what the studies show, and how to get the most from story time.

1. Children hear many more words

Books use words we rarely say out loud. In 2019, a team led by Jessica Logan at The Ohio State University counted the words in 60 popular children’s books and modelled how many words children would hear at different reading frequencies. Their estimate: children read five books a day enter kindergarten having heard about 1.4 million more words than children who are never read to. Even one book a day added up to roughly 290,000 more words by age 5.

The authors note the gap is probably conservative, because parents also talk about the pictures and the story while they read.

2. Language networks get a workout

A 2015 brain-imaging study of 3- to 5-year-olds linked more reading at home with stronger activity in brain areas used for understanding language and imagining scenes. See how the brain learns to read for more.

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3. Doctors recommend it from birth

In 2014, the American Academy of Pediatrics published a policy statement asking pediatricians to promote early literacy from infancy, advising parents to read aloud with their children and supporting programs such as Reach Out and Read, which gives books to families at check-ups. Babies won’t follow the plot, but they hear the rhythm of language and enjoy the closeness.

4. Conversation is the secret ingredient

An MIT study published in 2018 found that back-and-forth conversation was more strongly linked to children’s language skills than the sheer number of words they heard. Story time is a perfect place for that kind of talk: pause, ask, listen, reply. Try the simple dialogic reading method.

5. It builds a habit and a bond

A daily story gives children something to look forward to and connects books with comfort and attention. That positive feeling matters later, when reading gets harder. Our guide to building a reading habit has ideas, and this season’s fall stories, gentle Halloween books and Thanksgiving read-alouds are all free.

Sources

The word counts are estimates from a model, and most of this research shows links rather than proof of cause. The practical message is the same in every study: read together often, and talk about what you read.

Make one more story a day easy: free picture books, audiobooks and a reading log for the whole family.

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