A Systematic Review of Parent–Child Shared Book Reading Interventions for Infants and Toddlers

Abstract

Parents are encouraged to read to their children as early as possible. Multiple studies of parent–child shared book reading with children ages 3 years and older have shown positive outcomes on parent use of language-based strategies and child language development. However, few studies have included children under the age of 3; thus, little is known about interventions for parent–child shared book reading practices with infants and toddlers. In this systematic review, we examined 12 studies of interventions that included practice opportunities to support parent–child shared book reading practices with infants and toddlers between the ages of birth and 3 years. Across the studies, parents were taught to use interactive shared book reading strategies through a variety of teaching functions; however, only six studies included direct measurement of parent strategy use and child behaviors during shared book reading interactions. Directions for future research and the implications of this review are discussed.