The Time Family Members Spend Reading to Children at Home

In this study, data was collected on a sample of 2nd and 3rd graders in Zambia to analyze the amount of time they spend reading with their relatives. We find that sisters are the type of relative that spends the most time reading with young children. We also find that there are no major differences by gender of the child in how much time family members spend reading with him or her. The exception are grandfathers, who spend more time reading with their grandsons than with their granddaughters. We also estimate the correlation between the time family members spend reading with their children and their reading skills. Although we find a positive and significant correlation between time spent reading and EGRA scores, the documented slopes are relatively small.