Border Lines

The results of a new study on the effects of the home environment on early learning growth indicates that household order is the key to kids being able to read at an early age. The results say that organizing your home can help your child become a better reader, at an earlier age.

The study has found evidence of a link between the reading abilities of 5- and 6-year-old children, and the orderliness of their homes. The study appears in the October 2008 edition of Merrill-Palmer Quarterly.

Researchers at Teachers College, Columbia University and the Ohio State University found that household order, characterized by routines and cleanliness, was positively associated with a range of early reading abilities in a sample of 455 kindergarten and first-grade twins. However, this association only held for mothers whose own reading abilities were above the national average.

When the sample was split by mother’s reading level, household order explained reading growth among children of mothers with above average reading skills, while the child’s interest in and enjoyment of reading explained reading growth among children of mothers with average reading ability.

The current study examines whether associations exist between household chaos and children’s early reading skills, after controlling for a comprehensive battery of home literacy environment characteristics. Our sample included 455 kindergarten and first-grade children who are enrolled in the Western Reserve Reading Project. We go on to test whether these associations are moderated by maternal reading ability. Results suggest that the degree of household order is significantly and positively associated with the expressive vocabulary, Woodcock Reading Mastery, and phonological awareness skills of children whose mothers are above-average readers. By contrast, the number of books a child owns or brings home and how often a child amuses self alone with books are significantly associated with the expressive vocabulary, Woodcock Reading Mastery, and phonological awareness skills of children whose mothers are average-ability readers. These results suggest the potential for new approaches to encouraging literacy development in the home beyond those that depend solely on parental literacy.

Dr. Anne Martin, one of the researchers, noted that perhaps the same mothers who are above average readers are also those who are more likely to keep a tidy home and to implement daily household routines. So, mothers looking to enhance their child’s early reading skills should be encouraged to grab their organizers and even their brooms, as keeping an orderly home may have an even greater impact on our children than we previously thought.

Experts have long advised parents that the best way to encourage children to read is to read to them. But, Martin says, “Encouraging child-directed activities such as making books available in the home and allowing children to amuse themselves with books may be equally important and effective approaches to improving early reading.”

“Furthermore,” Martin adds, “for mothers who are above-average readers but may not have the time or inclination to read aloud, there may be a new strategy that has been overlooked until now: keeping an orderly home.”

For information about the study and the National Center for Children and Families, please go to: http://www.policyforchildren.org/orderinthehouse.html.

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