Author(s):	Guyonne Kalb, Jan C. van Ours
Publication Date:	May 2013
Keyword(s):	Cognitive skills, Reading to children
JEL(s):	c26, i21, j24
Programme Areas:	Labour Economics
Link to this Page:	cepr.org/active/publications/discussion_papers/dp.php?dpno=9485

This paper investigates the importance of parents reading to their young children. Using Australian data we find that parental reading to children at age 4 to 5 has positive and significant effects on reading skills and cognitive skills of these children at least up to age 10 or 11. Our findings are robust to a wide range of sensitivity analyses.