Reading to Children Aged 0-3 Years and the Association with Home Literacy Environment and Early Langugage Development

摘要

Many studies showed strong evidence for the importance of early reading to children, however current data is lacking. This study aims at a representative assessment and description of reading habits of parents with children aged 3 to 39 months in Germany. Parental reading behaviors, age of onset of storybook reading, Home Literacy Environment (HLE), the children's level of language skills and family background were assessed in face-to-face interviews with parents (N = 523). Most parents (79.0 %; n = 413) reported reading to their child within the first 3 years, with an average age of onset of storybook reading at 10 months of age (M = 9.90, SD = 6.67). Parents who read to their young child differed significantly from parents who do not in regard to the educational and migration background, the frequency of everyday activities they engage in with their child, and parental beliefs on child development. Further, we found significant associations between HLE, frequency of storybook reading, and children's level of language skills. Implications of the results for the promotion of early childhood literacy and reading skills are discussed.