Your child is in primary school? Then your role as a father is immense in his good results. If you help your child while reading or drawing, it can take your child a long way. Again, suppose you are a child’s playmate, that is also important.
Are you wondering, where do you get that time in your busy work? You have to find time for the good of your child. Because, a recent study conducted by the University of Leeds in England found that if fathers regularly develop close contact with their children through activities such as reading, playing, telling stories, drawing or singing, then their children do well in primary school.
What the study found
The ‘Millennium Cohort Study’ analyzed the primary school exam results of 5-7-year-old children from 5,000 families who have close contact with their parents. This is a well-known research project for research on children in the UK. And the children who participated in this study were born between 2000 and 2002.
According to the results of the study, if fathers draw, play and read with their 3-year-old children, then the child does better in school at the age of 5. And if fathers are actively involved at the age of 5, the results of the ‘Key Stage Assessment’ of 7-year-old children are better.
Busy working fathers can benefit from even just 10 minutes a day.
The study’s lead author, Dr. Helen Norman, a research fellow at Leeds University Business School, said: ‘Most children are still mainly cared for by their mothers. However, if fathers are actively involved in child care, their chances of doing well in primary school increase significantly.’
According to the study, fathers’ involvement has a positive impact on children’s school success, regardless of the child’s gender, ethnic identity, age in the school year or family income.
Mothers and fathers participating in the same activities show different effects. According to the study, mothers have a greater influence on children’s emotional and social behavior, while fathers have a greater influence on educational success.
The researchers recommend that fathers spend as much time with their children as possible each week. Even busy working fathers can benefit from the educational benefits of just 10 minutes a day.
Researchers’ recommendations
The researchers have made some recommendations to increase the closeness of parents with their children. One of them is that those involved in school and early childhood education should collect contact information for each child’s parents (if possible). They should also develop strategies to encourage fathers’ participation in children’s activities.
The researchers also said that the Office for the Standards in Education (UK’s education standards office) should consider fathers’ participation when it visits schools.
The study was co-authored by Dr. Jeremy Davies, Head of Impact and Communications at the Fatherhood Institute. The Fatherhood Institute is a UK charity that works to create a society where men are valued, supported and empowered as active fathers and carers.
The gist of what Jeremy Davies said is that the analysis shows that fathers have a significant and direct influence on their children’s education. Therefore, it is necessary to find ways to support and support fathers, like mothers, to interact closely with their children or participate in various activities.
The study, led by Dr. Helen Norman, Research Fellow at Leeds University Business School, was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). The final report of the study has been published on the Leeds University Business School website.
Source: Leeds.ac.uk
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