What parents can do at home
Teaching a skill did more than listening or reading aloud
Teaching a skill did more than listening or reading aloud
A review of 14 studies with 1,174 families concluded that parent involvement in reading activities has a positive effect on children learning to read. Parents teaching specific reading skills was twice as effective as parents listening to the child read.
A meta-analysis of 14 studies with 1174 families concluded that parent involvement in reading activities has a positive effect on children learning to read.
In the source’s own words“The combined results for the 14 intervention studies, representing 1174 families, were clear: Parent involvement has a positive impact on children's reading acquisition.”
In that review, parents teaching specific reading skills was twice as effective as parents listening to the child read, and six times as effective as encouraging parents to read to the child.
In the source’s own words“Having parents teach specific literacy skills to their children was two times more effective than having parents listen to their children read and six times more effective than encouraging parents …”
The two studies in which parents read to their child showed a small effect that could not be told apart from zero on early reading skills as the review defined them.
In the source’s own words“the two studies where parents read to their child produced a small effect size (0.18) that was not different from 0.”
The review found parent involvement helped from kindergarten to grade 3, and helped children with reading difficulties as much as other children.
In the source’s own words“the interventions were as effective for children experiencing reading difficulties as they were for normally-developing children.”
The review found the benefit did not depend on family income level.
In the source’s own words“the socioeconomic level of the participating families did not affect the positive impact of the interventions.”
The Education Endowment Foundation's summary puts the average effect of parental engagement at four extra months of progress, with most evidence coming from home-reading programs.
In the source’s own words“Parental engagement has a positive impact on average of 4 months’ additional progress. Most evidence relates to the effect of home-reading interventions on literacy outcomes.”
The same summary says practical strategies, tips and resources for parents may do more than just giving a child a book or asking for general help.
In the source’s own words“providing practical strategies with tips, support, and resources may be more beneficial than simply gifting a book to pupils or asking parents to provide generic help.”
The National Early Literacy Panel found that home and parent programs for young children had moderate to large effects on spoken language and general thinking skills.
In the source’s own words“the home and parent programs yielded statistically significant and moderate to large effects on children’s oral language skills and general cognitive abilities.”
We read each of these ourselves on October 9, 2026. Follow the links to read them too.
“Behind in reading” can mean ten different things, and each one needs different help. Check off what is true for your child. You will see the one thing to work on first, and what can wait.