A couple of years ago and through my work in the development industry, I was introduced to Save the Children’s Literacy Boost program, an initiative launched by the internationally recognized NGO to improve literacy and numeracy in the developing world through targeted pedagogical methods and the provision of basic reading material. What struck me then was the evidence presented about the role parents play in enriching children’s vocabulary and how that, in turn, affects their performance in school in later years.
In 2003, University of Kansas researchers Betty Hart and Todd R. Risley conducted a study in homes of families from different socio-economic backgrounds. The purpose was to assess how daily exchanges between parents and children shaped language and vocabulary development. Hart and Risley found that children in professionals’ homes were exposed to an average of 1,500 more spoken words per hour than children in welfare homes. Over one year, that amounted to a difference of nearly 8 million words. This means that by age four, when most children are enrolled in school, children from less educated homes are already at a disadvantage; they face a total gap of 32 million words between them and their counterparts from educated/professional families.
Numbers aside, what Hart and Risley found was that parents in professional families played a significant role in populating their children’s vocabulary ‘bank’. Not only did they talk to their children more but they also used a variety of words and provided a greater richness of nouns, modifiers and verbs.
Furthermore, and this is key, parents read to their children, which has been proven to promote the development of language and other emergent literacy skills.
A 2011 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) analysis found that, discounting social differences, children with early support remained ahead in reading.
The OECD analysis, based on teenagers in 14 developed countries, found that on average, teenagers whose parents had helped with reading at the beginning of school were six months ahead in reading levels at the age of 15.
So, what can we in the UAE take away from this study?
In order for a child to build a satisfactory vocabulary base, they must be exposed to a substantial variety of words through reading and conversations.
A major decisive factor in a child’s language and vocabulary development in the US is his or her socio-economic background. In the UAE, and the Arab world in general, the reality is unfortunately far less specific. Activities known to help enrich a child’s vocabulary are seldom practiced, regardless of a child’s background.
In January of 2012, The Arab Thought Foundation’s Fikr reported that the average Arab child reads “six minutes” a year in comparison to the 12,000 minutes its Western counterpart spends. In an Arab League table of readers by nations, the UAE placed fifth behind Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco and Iraq. In the UAE, just 22 per cent of people described themselves as regular readers.
The good news is, for us in the UAE, this is an obstacle we can overcome through guidance and raising awareness.
Here are some practical tips on how to improve language development through reading and conversation — based on my experience with my children.
Start early: The earlier parents start reading to their children the better. Parents can start reading to their children in their infancy, as the parent’s voice can prove to be quite soothing.
Build a library: It is never too early to start building your children’s library. I personally found great pleasure in picking out children books for different age groups while I was still pregnant with my now 2-year-old son. It is important to keep your child’s books in an easy-to-reach location (i.e. the lowest shelves in your library). Having their books in a visible and accessible place will encourage them to read every time their eyes catch the colourful covers of their books.
Buy books together: When it to comes to book shopping or visiting the library, make sure you actively involve your child. Encourage them to browse through the books available and help them pick out age appropriate titles that they find intriguing.
Make reading interactive: Books can be a great way to stimulate your child’s imagination, but it is also very useful to help children fully experience daily otherwise mundane events and activities, and pay more attention to details. Find ways to relate their books to everyday life experiences. For example, if you’re planning a day in the park, read him/her a book about parks that night and make sure you point out the things you both did and saw in the park that day.
Hold your child: Always hold your child close when you read aloud to them, especially at a young age. By doing that you will help them create an association between reading books and feelings of safety, warmth and love.
Engage in conversations and use a variety of words
Just like our minds are enriched by our interactions with people around us, so does a child’s vocabulary. No matter how young or old your child is, narrate what you’re doing, talk in full sentences, and use as many synonyms as possible. Ask them questions, listen to them intently and encourage them to notice how words are used in different contexts.
Hundreds of thousands of articles, research papers, and books will tell you why raising a reader is the intellectually, economically and logically right thing to do for your child. However, it takes a lover of books to know that one should read because life becomes simply a dull one otherwise.
There is a certain kind of pleasure one can only experience in the company of an exceptionally good book, and I cannot think of a better gift to pass on to one’s child than the ability to find joy in reading.
Maria Hanif is an Emarati writer from Dubai.You can follow her on www.Twitter.com/maria_hanif
