October 18, 2017
Reading and writing with your child creates tools for lifetime success
Home literacy activities have already been associated with higher test scores. However, new research from the University of Washington’s College of Education shows these activities also provide students with tools for lifetime success, specifically the development of key long-term study and executive function skills.
The study speaks to the need for a collaborative effort between parents and teachers. This collaboration can include teachers asking parents about how they support their child’s learning at home, as well as different ways to engage a child in writing at home.
“If you make sure your child is academically engaged at home through third grade, kids go on autopilot — they know how to ‘do’ school after that,” said Nicole Alston-Abel ’09, a Federal Way Public Schools psychologist who conducted the study while pursuing her doctorate in school psychology at the UW.