This week is the
Third Infants and Toddlers Conference at Macquarie University in Sydney. Anna Cronin (my PhD student) and Dr Michelle Brown (my postdoc) are attending. Michelle is presenting "Reading during infancy strengthens academic achievement" (Brown, Wang & McLeod) at the conference.
Here is her abstract
Reading books is an important activity that early childhood educators and parents can undertake to promote early communication development. According to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, children have the right to “freedom of expression” (Article 13) and “development of the child’s personality, talents and mental and physical abilities to their fullest potential” (Article 29). To support children reaching their fullest potential, the present study examined the long-term benefits for language and literacy achievement in Grades 3 and 5 from book-reading at 1-2 years. Participants were 3547 infants and their caregivers from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. The relationship between the number of minutes per day caregivers reported reading with their infant and the child’s language and literacy subtests from the National Assessment Program for Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) in Grades 3 and 5 was examined, using a series of regression analyses. The duration of book reading at 1-2 years positively predicted language and literacy outcomes in Grades 3 and 5. This research provides evidence to support early childhood educators, parents, and clinicians to encourage daily book-reading with infants to strengthen later language and literacy achievement.
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| Dr Michelle Brown presenting her research |
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| Michelle Brown and Anna Cronin on the first morning of the Infants and Toddlers Conference |
