Kids Benefit From Order and Stability
Anna D. Johnson and Anne Martin of Columbia’s Teachers College recently published an article titled “Order in the House” that examines what effect an orderly household has on children’s reading skills.
Researchers looked at 455 twins who were kindergarten and first grade students in Ohio and western Pennsylvania. Nearly all of the students were white and came from middle-class homes. Within this narrow sample, the children were divided into two groups. One group of students had mothers who were above-average readers, while the other group had mothers with average reading skills. The study didn’t consider the role of fathers.
Mothers were asked about their child’s reading habits and how often adults read to the children. They were also asked about order and routines in the home.
The results of the study were somewhat surprising. The amount of time children were read to didn’t seem to affect the reading skills of either group of children; however, the reading skills of the children of above-average readers who kept orderly homes with solid routines were more advanced that those with disorganized homes and scattered schedules.
This small study may just be the tip of the iceberg, but it does provide some insight into the value of a stable household. Often when parents approach the point of divorce and even after they decide to split, households can become chaotic. The disruption of the child’s schedule and disorganization of a household may be upsetting to the child and cause learning setbacks.
Parents who divorce while maintaining a sense of normality may provide benefits beyond the obvious for their children. Learn more about parenting after divorce at Total Divorce.
