The frequency of parents’ reading-related activities at home and children's reading skills during kindergarten and Grade 1

Abstract

This longitudinal study investigated the associations between the frequency of parents’ reading-related activities at home and their children's reading-related skills during the transition from kindergarten to Grade 1. Longitudinal data were obtained for 1436 Finnish children (5- to 6-year-olds at baseline) and their mothers and fathers. 684 girls and 752 boys participating in the study represented four Finnish municipalities. The reading skills of the children were measured four times: at the beginning and at the end of their kindergarten year, and at the beginning and at the end of Grade 1. In kindergarten, decoding tests were administered individually. In Grade 1, group tests in reading fluency were performed. The children's mothers and fathers filled in questionnaires on the frequency of their teaching of reading and the frequency of shared reading with their children in the kindergarten year and in Grade 1. The results showed that the better word reading skills children showed in kindergarten, the more shared reading parents reported. Also, the better word reading skills boys evidenced in kindergarten, the more teaching of reading parents reported. However, in Grade 1, it was children's poor skills in reading that activated more frequent parents’ teaching of reading and more frequent shared reading.