Fathers’ Shared Book Reading Experiences: Common Behaviors, Frequency, Predictive Factors, and Developmental Outcomes

Abstract

A comprehensive critical review of the shared reading literature indicates that shared reading has the potential to yield positive developmental outcomes for children cognitively, socially, and emotionally. However, closer consideration of the literature further demonstrates that the extent and nature of parental sex differences is largely undocumented, though significant theoretical underpinnings suggest that mothers and fathers are likely to differ in quality of reading and linguistic exchanges with their sons and daughters. We review available literature on father’s shared reading to describe common father behaviors, frequency of fathers’ shared reading, factors predictive of fathers’ shared reading with children, and developmental outcomes for children. Implications for further research are elaborated.

Keywords:

• Developmental outcomes
• early childhood
• fathers
• literacy
• shared book reading

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Taylor Ryan and Gerilyn Slicker for their helpful comments on an earlier version of this paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.