We found a study that shows that fathers have a crucial role to play in their children’s cognitive development, that is to say, that children whose fathers were positively and hands-on in their growing stages scored higher on cognitive tests by age 2.
Do not get us wrong, children benefit from both parents in their lives, but Dads have a very unique part in raising their children.
Let me say here that Moms are great, their role in a child’s life cannot be over-emphasized, however, there are so many gains of having a dad who is actively involved in a child’s life
The Imperial College London conducted a study that shows that fathers who are actively involved in their children’s life, by cooking with them, playing with them, and doing a lot of activities together while giving children positive feedback help to increase their children’s cognitive development. The researcher in fact says that he is able to predict a young child’s cognitive abilities by simply looking at the quality time their father spent with them.
The message here to old and new fathers is simple, get involved with your children, play with them, study with them and do house chores with them says the study author Professor Paul Ramchandani, he also said that even for very little children, having their Dads play and interact with them can have a very positive effect.
For the study, the ICL team looked at 128 fathers interacting with their three-month-old babies, recorded videos of the fathers playing with their children without toys, and watched the child-father pairs during book-reading sessions when the children were two-years-old.
The importance of a father is not be overlooked.
The researchers also measured the toddler’s cognitive development. Results revealed a positive correlation between the baby’s early relationship with their fathers and the children’s test scores later in life. Two factors seemed to have the strongest positive effect on the toddler’s cognitive skills: having a father with a calm demeanor and having a father who spent quality time with them.
Of course, the study was only observational, and it’s not clear if a father’s interaction was the direct cause for these children’s cognitive abilities. The researchers explained that it may just be that children of interactive fathers generally have a more positive life and more opportunities than children with more absent fathers.
Still, this isn’t the first time scientists have noted the benefits of having a positive (and present) father figure. A 2002 study found similar results, revealing that children of more involved fathers were more likely to show cognitive competence and education success than those of less-involved fathers. In addition this same study showed that children of involved fathers were more likely to enjoy school and take part in more after-school activities.
In addition, a father’s interaction can also affect a child’s overall enjoyment of life, as a study from 2012 found that a father’s involvement in a child’s life, particularly a daughter’s life, was a strong predictor of her self esteem and life satisfaction in adulthood.
Source: Sethna V, Perry E, Domoney J, et al. FATHER–CHILD INTERACTIONS AT 3 MONTHS AND 24 MONTHS: CONTRIBUTIONS TO CHILDREN’S COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT AT 24 MONTHS. Infant Mental Health Journal. 2017
Source https://www.independent.ie/regionals/herald/lifestyle/why-being-a-hands-on-dad-is-finally-viewed-as-a-very-very-important-job-30772026.html
Let me say here that Moms are great, their role in a child’s life cannot be over-emphasized, however, there are so many gains of having a dad who is actively involved in a child’s life.