Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41507401›Full record

ArticlePediatric research2026

Impact of shared storybook reading on child development: The Japan Environment and Children's Study.

Haruhiko Nakamura, Tomohisa Suzuki, Keita Kanamori, Chiharu Ota, Japan Environment and Children’s Study Group

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Article in Pediatric research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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5 · Who and what money

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5 authors.

Haruhiko NakamuraDepartment of Development and Environmental Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.
Tomohisa SuzukiDepartment of Development and Environmental Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.
Keita KanamoriDepartment of Development and Environmental Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.
Chiharu OtaDepartment of Development and Environmental Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan. chiharu.ota.e8@tohoku.ac.jp.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0644-1144
Japan Environment and Children’s Study Group

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundShared storybook reading in early childhood is crucial for cognitive and social development, but its association with broader developmental domains is less established. This study aimed to investigate the association between the frequency of shared storybook reading and overall child development.

methodsThis study analyzed data from the Japan Environment and Children's Study, a nationwide prospective birth cohort study. The frequency of shared storybook reading was assessed at multiple time points up to age 3. Child development was assessed using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire-3 (ASQ-3). The association was analyzed using multivariate models adjusted for parental background, opportunities to play with the child, and media exposure.

resultsA total of 36,866 mother-child pairs were analyzed. The frequency of storybook reading positively correlated with the ASQ-3 scores across all developmental domains. After adjustments, frequent reading at age 3 was associated with a 5.5-point increase (95% CI: 5.0-6.0, p < 0.001) in communication scores compared to rare reading. Among children whose ASQ-3 scores fell below the cutoff at the age of 1 year, more frequent reading at subsequent ages was associated with greater score improvements.

conclusionFrequent shared storybook reading positively correlated with the overall developmental progress in early childhood. IMPACT: Based on a large-scale nationwide birth cohort study, frequent shared storybook reading is positively associated with the overall developmental progress in early childhood. Even for children with developmental delays at age one, continuous reading was positively associated with their development.

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Child DevelopmentReadingBirth CohortChild, PreschoolFemaleHumansInfantJapanMaleProspective StudiesSurveys and Questionnaires

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