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16th November 2016
12:46pm GMT

Researchers also looked at what activities had the most beneficial effect on children's development. Songs, reading stories and visiting other families with children were top of the list for developing talking skills, while surprisingly, taking walks outdoors has a negative impact on movement skills - usually because a child is spending time in a buggy instead of running around.
Children with more siblings have better skills in all four areas suggesting they are learning from their older brothers or sisters. Laurence Roope, of Oxford University, co-wrote the paper:
'It should give parents some reassurance that nurseries are not going to harm their children, and are likely to be beneficial. It seems that what is important is engaging in interactive activities. It could be there is a trade-off. Going out to work brings in more money for the family, which leads to more financial security and the ability to partake in more activities. But it might mean that the bond between parent and child is not as great, particularly if the parent is tired or stressed. More interactive activities between child and carer appear related to the development of both cognitive and non-cognitive capacities – and to child happiness.”It suggests that stay at home parents may be too busy to spend as much time on developing everyday skills like a child dressing themselves or being able to speak up in a crowd. It is also worth noting that emotional development is not examined in this particular study and obviously environmental surroundings are not taken into consideration. Researchers looked at the effects of other activities on young children and found that reading and shopping made them happiest. (Us too) What do you think of this particular study? We are reporting the research but it is always worth remembering that every parent should do what they feel is best for their child and their situation! Send us your comments to Amanda.Cassidy@HerFamily.ie
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