Two-year-olds who know lots of words are more likely to start kindergarten ready to read, to do math, and to pay attention, a new study suggests.
Previous research has shown that children who are doing better academically in kindergarten are more likely to go to college, get married, own homes, and live in higher-income households.
“Our findings provide compelling evidence for oral vocabulary’s theorized importance as a multifaceted contributor to children’s early development,” says Paul Morgan, associate professor of education policy studies at Penn State.
Morgan and colleagues analyzed results of surveys of parents who were asked questions about how many words their toddlers know.
