Parenting practices

Why is this important?

Two in five parents read stories to their child aged five or under on a daily basis

Parenting practices are recognized as important predictors of school readiness and future educational achievement
Parent-child interactions that are sensitive and caring and parents’ disciplinary style are associated with educational achievement in school
Children that grow up in family environments that stimulate cognitive development perform better at school
Children’s early exposure to a diversity of vocabulary words used by their mothers as well as the frequency of learning-supportive mother-child interactions are predictors of vocabulary learning in kindergarten and in Grade 2
Shared reading is a predictive factor of success at the time children begin their formal education
Children with experience of an adult reading to them at an early age (early start), i.e. before the age of three and a half, as well as children who are read to on a daily basis (frequency) are at an advantage when learning vocabulary at the end of kindergarten and also perform better in their future education

Parents’ reading-writing habits (influence on the child has a bearing on parents’ motivation)
Positive attitudes to the written word (taking pleasure in and valuing reading)
Importance of early start and frequency in relation to parents’ habits regarding parent-child reading and writing activities (shared reading)
The parent’s and child’s enhanced involvement in reading and writing activities: reading to the child or interactive shared reading (pointing a finger at something; oral interactions; asking both open and closed questions associated with description, comprehension and evaluation. The questions may refer to the story’s content or structure or specific features of the writing, such as letters or phonemes)
Effect of bringing the parent and child closer together (opportunity for a warm and pleasant exchange)
Shared reading from the pre-verbal stage: the child can enjoy the discovery of picture books
Shared reading from the age of three: the child is capable of taking an interest in a particular book or story

Organize parent-child workshops focused in early reading activities
Provide guidance to parents in relation to their child’s integration into the school system
Offer parents educational support in relation to early reading skills
Organize parent-child workshops focused on building reading awareness
Offer an early writing skills training workshop for parents
Arrange for periodic contacts between the school and the parents and child to help prepare for the transition
Encourage parents to read books to their children

Opportunities for developing the child’s talents and skills (activities enabling them to have multiple and diverse writing experiences, such as family visits to the library
Development of the child’s grasp of the surrounding world: development of the senses, acquisition of knowledge and new skills in all aspects of the child’s development

Cognitive interactions (parents’ cognitive involvement and stimulation): child’s exposure to intellectually-stimulating activities (formal or direct teaching activities [teaching the child to recognize the letters in the alphabet], stimulating verbal discussions [quantity and variety of the vocabulary used by the parents], and any other parent activity or behaviour that fosters the child’s learning and cognitive and language development)
Emotional interactions: warm, reciprocal, emotional relationships with parents (fundamental for a healthy and harmonious development), parents’ involvement with the child (attachment bond), establishing a discipline and frame of reference with clear rules and limits and applied with a firm but caring hand (develops children’s sense of security, supports their need for consistency, teaches them to control their emotional impulses and helps build their skills for sociable interaction)

Offer workshops for children and parents that focus on self-esteem, social skills, and problem-solving skills
Incorporate opportunities for emotional expression into activities
Offer parenting skills reinforcement workshops
Offer parents opportunities to exchange information about their children’s development
Provide partners with opportunities to reflect on the coherence of their family outreach intervention strategies
Emphasize the role of the father for best-possible child development
Organize parent-child stimulation workshops
Organize activities with a focus on motor skills, cognitive and language skills, and social-emotional skills (attachment bond, social skills, etc.)
Participate in a wide range of cultural events
Supply information and build awareness about the attachment bond
Offer home visits by a kindergarten teacher or other professional to help foster democratic parenting practices