STUDY: Keep talking, it’s just as beneficial to your kid as reading

Parents excel at multi-tasking. They have the baby-on-hip, homework-helping, dinner-making move nailed. What you mightn’t realise is that the chatter your child is exposed to helps just as much as reading when it comes to brain development. Yep. As part of a Growing Up in Ireland study this year, researchers from the ESRI and University of Limerick found that talking to nine-month olds while engaged in other activities had a more than significant impact on their communication and problem solving skills. Those one-sided conversations, nay rants, about the latest gas bill or bank charge, are doing more for the youth of today than you give yourself credit for. It's also great news for mums and dads rushing home for bedtime stories. If they've passed out by the time you get there, it'll pay dividends to keep the conversation going the next morning.