Children who receive educational and literacy resources at young ages are likely to have higher reading levels as adults, said Dana Diaconu, author of “The Effects of Early Literacy Activities Upon Reading Achievement in Grade Four in Eastern European Countries." In addition, children who spend time in preschool have higher rates of reading achievement.
According to Early Moments, an organization that promotes early literacy through book clubs, reading to young children helps them to associate books and words with a sense of closeness and warmth. Even infants can associate positive feelings with a book. When these children become adults, it’s likely that they will continue to have positive associations with books and other print materials, because of earlier experiences.
Early Moments claims that older children and adults are likely have increased attention spans when they’re exposed to reading at an early age. This increased attention span can help young adults retain information at school more efficiently. In addition to enhanced memory, those who were early readers are likely to have a higher level of concentration.
In her article, “Early Language Problems May Hinder Adult Literacy,” Amy Norton cites a study indicating that children who are read to have fewer language problems as adults. The study tested 5-year-old’s' literacy skills, and then assessed them again at age 34. Children whose parents read to them daily had a lower incidence of language problems. Conversely, children who had limited language skills at age 5 were almost seven times more likely to score poorly on an adulthood literacy test.