Children Benefit More From Their Father Reading Them Bedtime Stories Than Their Mother

If you’ve ever observed a father reading to their child; you have witnessed something quite special.

Research from Harvard University has shown that dads spark more imaginative discussions with their children during story time.

It was found that girls in particular, benefitted more, when read to by a male.

Questions posed by men, challenge a child’s brain more, leading to greater language development.

Elisabeth Duursma, who conducted the research, said that women are more likely to ask factual questions such as, “How many apples do you see?” and men favour more abstract questions, like, “Oh look, a ladder. Do you remember when I had that ladder in my truck?’”

In this way, fathers bring more fun to story time, naturally gifting the child with increased vocabulary and a stimulated imagination.

Traditionally in the Muslim community (and indeed others), due to cultural norms, we may often find that the role of reading to the children is carried out by the mother. However, this research and several other studies, clearly point to the advantages of dads taking on the task more often.