Some time ago we told you that pediatricians recommend that fathers spend time with their children because their way of treating them is different from that of mothers. Now we present to you a positive effect of the active presence of parents in the lives of their children.
A new study revealed that the presence of parents helps children learn faster .
According to this study, a male role that is active in the first months of children’s lives would help them to perform better in cognitive development tests at 2 years of age.
The results of the study show the importance of the father in the lives of the children, and the researchers comment that even from 3 months of age the effects of this can be seen.
The researchers analyzed the interaction between 128 parents and their children, which they videotaped when the babies were three months old. It basically consisted of parents playing with their children for a few minutes on a mat on the floor and without toys, and later when the children were two years old they analyzed the interaction during a reading session between parents and children.
When they were 2 years old, cognitive development was measured in tests where children had to recognize colors and shapes. When doing these tests, it was found that there was a positive correlation between the interaction between parents and children at three months, and the results of the children’s tests at two years .
It is important to mention that the results were not affected by the sex of the children, both girls and boys who lived with their parents obtained a high score in the tests .
In the case of the children of parents who were not close to them or who had depressive attitudes during interaction with their babies, their scores were lower.
Why is this happening?
The researchers conclude that parents who are more distant from their children probably use fewer verbal and non-verbal communication strategies, which would reduce the learning experience of babies.
In addition to the results, they found that the children of parents with a relaxed, sensitive and less anxious attitude than the others, showed better cognitive development at two years, including their attention span and problem solving, as well as social skills. and language .
Although this study shows us one more reason for parents to be more involved in raising children, it seems to me that even if we did not know these results, the presence of father in the children’s lives is fundamental and very beneficial for them .
Via | BBC
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