Positive Association Between Reading to Pre-Schoolers and Brain Function

Many parents read stories to their young children at bedtime to relax and entertain them or get them settled in for a peaceful slumber. The one-on-one time together is valued and something to look forward to. Now, according to reports from Science Daily, MRIs have shown that this reading results in variations in brain activity among children who are read to regularly and those who are not.
According to the author of this study, John Hutton, M.D. and his team from National Research Service Award Fellow, Division of General and Community Pediatrics, Reading and Literacy Discovery Center, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, reading to pre-schoolers results in future reading success and supports mental imagery and imagination building skills. Although previous studies linked reading to young children with superior language skills, never before have measured results via MRI on the brain been reported.
The study focused on 19 pre-schoolers ages 3-5, 37% from low income homes. By examining reading frequency, access to books, and the teaching of skills like shapes and counting, results of MRI-measured tests found that those children who were read to showed greater activity in the areas of the brain responsible for reading and oral language.
A strong supporter, President Obama, will help low income families gain access to books by providing free access to children’s books from major publishers via apps from the Public Library. Findings from this groundbreaking study only further reinforces the notion of the importance of reading to young children as much as possible for a lasting impact on their well-being and future success.
Do you read to your young children regularly?

 

By: Melissa A. Kay