Home reading boost for children

Reading to children at home could reduce their chance of developing social and emotional problems by 20 per cent, a study revealed yesterday.

The research, carried out by teams at Essex University and University College, London, also suggests that children living in the poorest families are up to eight times more likely to have serious social problems than those who are more wealthy.

Researchers said the study, published yesterdy in Archives of Disease in Childhood, was among the first to “chart the magnitude of inequalities in the pre-school years”.

They also found that the gap in children’s verbal skills widens by 50 per cent between the ages of three and five, the age groups studied.

Yvonne Kelly professor at the Essex University’s Institute for Social and Economic Research, said: “We have known for some time that there are clear links between early child development and a wide range of later adult outcomes and there have been numerous efforts to implement early intervention policies to tackle this.”