Middle Class 5 Year Olds Speak Better Than Some Adults

◄previousnext►
Middle Class 5 Year Olds Speak Better Than Some Adults
Researchers from the University of Southern California have found that many middle class children start school with a better vocabulary than some parents from poorer families

The findings are based on a study of children in 42 families from ten months old.

Toddlers brought up in professional families hear an average of 2,153 words every hour compared with 1,251 words in working class families and 616 words in families on benefits, a study has found. Middle-class parents, it would seem, are talking to their children more than poorer families do.

Too many parents are putting children in front of the TV, according to educationalists, rather than reading and talking to them, forgetting that they, as parents, are responsible for their child's development and not the schools.

By the time they are 3, middle class children have a vocabulary of around 1,100 words - compared with 500 for children from less well-off families. Consequently, at five many well-off youngsters have a better vocabulary than parents from poor backgrounds. This gap leaves poorer children at a lifelong disadvantage.

January 2011

Share This...

Family
 Traditional Christening Gifts
 Child Support, Child Access and the Law
 Child Benefit and ChildCare Vouchers
 The End of Outdoor Play?
 Five Activities to Keep Kids Active
 more....
Mums
 Having A Baby Is Good For Your Social Life
 Stay Calm and Content
 The Online World of the Modern Mum
 Work and Childcare: Striking a Balance
 What's the Most Stressful Thing About Being a Mum?
 more....
Forum
 more....