The home literacy environment: exploring how media and parent-child interactions are associated with children’s language production

Children who start school with strong language skills initiate a trajectory of academic success, while children with weaker skills are likely to struggle. Research has demonstrated that media and parent-child interactions, both characteristics of the home literacy environment, influence children's language skills. Using a national sample of American parents of children aged 8-36 months (n = 500), the current study evaluated how media and parent-child interactions are associated with children's language skills. Results indicated a positive association between literacy-based parent-child interactions and children's language production. The association between access to radios and children's books was mediated by parent-child interactions. These results offer important implications for creating home interventions to boost the language abilities of children before entering school.