In several studies published in the journals Development and Psychopathology, and the Journal of Abnormal Psychology, researchers tracked children’s language development from preschool through the early teen-age years, comparing language skills with behavior issues rated by parents and teachers, as well as the students’ performance on impulse-control tests and were able to link behavior control to language skills.

“The children who are less exposed to language are more likely to go on to develop later behavior problems,” Isaac Petersen, one of the study’s researcher said during a fantastic podcast on the research by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. “So having exposure to language, talking to your children, reading to and with your children is also important. It can also be helpful to encourage private or self-directed speech.”

Bilingual books and culturally relevant stories help to foster not only the love of reading, but they also foster a lot of discussion and language opportunities between parents and children. Children of immigrant parents may not know very much about the town their parents are from, if they have never visited the country of origin of their parents. A book, Family Stories, published by Lectura Books, helps parents and kids to share their stories, histories, culture and traditions and encourages parents to share their own childhood with their children.

Teachers who work with English learners (EL) know that helping EL children can be a challenge if their parents don’t speak English. But having a bilingual book is one way for parents to read with their kids, discuss the book and share their own stories, while fostering much dialogue and language opportunities together as a family.

One parent from Palatine, IL commented about how bilingual books published by Lectura Books changed the relationship in her family and said, “I discovered so much about my daughter. I was surprised at some of her answers. We read and discussed the book and learned about each other. We had the opportunity to learn more about our traditions and culture.”

Bilingual Books and the opportunity to share stories can change lives, relationships, language, and behavior.