I’ve always found a delightful connection between food and reading. Perhaps it’s because I enjoy indulging in a good book while savoring a meal, whether it’s balancing a novel on a napkin holder at a café or flipping through pages while enjoying pasta at the kitchen table. I’ve even attempted to recreate some of the dishes I’ve encountered in children’s literature with my kids, like trying to make the hard-boiled eggs that Frances refuses to eat in Bread and Jam for Frances. This culinary adventure has notably freed us from the monotony of lunchtime peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
Research suggests that the relationship between meals and reading might be even deeper than I realized. According to psychologist David Miller, children who consistently share dinner with their families tend to have an edge over their peers when it comes to early reading and literacy skills. He cites studies indicating that the conversations around the dinner table significantly enhance children’s vocabulary—more so than reading alone.
Why Does This Happen?
The picture books we often read to children feature relatively limited vocabularies. In contrast, everyday conversations can introduce a variety of more complex words. Miller points out, “Rare words, those beyond the 3,000 most common ones, are ten times more likely to appear in dinner conversations than in storybooks. When parents share stories about their day or recount humorous family memories, they naturally include many words that may be unfamiliar to a young child but can be grasped through context.” Children who develop expansive vocabularies filled with these unique words tend to find reading easier, as they can decipher unfamiliar terms more effectively.
But that’s not the whole story. Kids not only benefit from listening to adults speak but also from sharing their own narratives. Engaging them in storytelling helps reinforce what they’ve learned. Research shows that kindergarteners who tell stories often become better readers by seventh grade.
As a mother of a highly talkative 5-year-old, I can vouch for his love of storytelling—even if some tales can be a little nonsensical. Recently, he’s been going on about a “motion potion,” claiming that to fly, one must gather specific ingredients. (And yes, there are plenty of jokes about its effects!) His imaginative storytelling is thriving, even if his audience occasionally drifts into more coherent thoughts.
Encouraging Storytelling
Parents can encourage their children to be both storytellers and better communicators, according to the research on kids, conversation, and vocabulary. Miller offers several tips for parents:
- Remind your kids of shared experiences and discuss them. For example: “Do you remember that time we went to the amusement park?”
- Ask open-ended questions like “how” and “why.”
- Encourage them to elaborate on their stories and repeat back what they’ve shared.
- Let them steer the conversation instead of dominating it.
It makes perfect sense that mealtime discussions would enrich a child’s vocabulary, inspire them to narrate their experiences, and strengthen the connection between spoken and written language. Based on these findings, I’m definitely making it a point to incorporate more storytelling into our dinner talks.
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In summary, fostering rich conversations during family meals can dramatically enhance children’s vocabulary and reading abilities. Encouraging storytelling not only makes dinner more engaging but also cultivates essential skills that will benefit your child throughout their educational journey.
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