Study: It’s Not the Number of Words you Speak to Your Child, it’s How Frequently You Speak with Them

Paternity leave” by The U.S. Army licensed under CC BY 2.0

Source: US News

A new study conducted by Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Pennsylvania found that children who are engaged in conversation have more brain activity.

“The sheer amount of language, the number of adult words, was not related to brain activation or verbal skills,” said one researcher.

Researchers concluded that the number of words that are spoken to a child are not necessarily the only factor that affects brain activity. Rather, it is the meaningful, engaging conversations that parents have with their children that help a child’s brain development.

Children who were engaged in conversation at home were equally benefitting, whether they were from a low-income or high-income household, researchers noted.

Previous studies have found that children in low-income homes hear approximately 30 million fewer words than children in wealthy families, and these findings have served as a catalyst of movements to improve the number of dictionary words children are hearing in their homes.

This new study, however, finds that it might not be the number of words that children are hearing that helps their brain activity, but rather the engaging and frequent conversations they have with their parents and others around them.

Read Full Story: US News

Children & Families, News
Children & Families, News