Fathers' Language Input During Shared Book Activities: Links to Children's Kindergarten Achievement

How much fathers talk to young children has a direct positive effect on their kindergarten performance. This study used data from the Family Life Project to examine predictive relations between fathers’ and mothers’ language input during a wordless picture book task in the home just before kindergarten entry and children’s letter — word identification, picture vocabulary, and applied problems scores at the end of kindergarten. Analysis revealed that mothers’ talk (“mean length of utterance”) predicted children’s applied problems scores. More importantly, fathers’ mean length of utterance predicted children’s vocabulary and applied problems scores above and beyond mothers’ language. Findings highlight the unique contribution of fathers to children’s early academic achievement. Implications for future research, practice, and policy are discussed.