Tracing the Cognitive-Motor Connection: Prospective-Longitudinal Associations Between Early Parent-Toddler Literacy...

Background/objectives: Early literacy is widely promoted, yet its broader developmental benefits remain underexamined regarding key indicators of brain development. This study examines whether early literacy exposure in toddlerhood predicts motor skill development at the end of kindergarten. Methods: Participants comprised 1006 boys and 991 girls from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development (QLSCD) birth cohort. Early literacy stimulation was measured at age 2 years using parent reports of frequency of shared reading, looking at books or comics, and pre-writing activities such as scribbling and tracing. At age 6 years, child motor development was assessed by trained examiners. Sex-stratified multiple regression models were examined, adjusting for pre-existing and concurrent child and family characteristics. Results: Early literacy stimulation was significantly associated with better motor control skills among girls (β = 0.10, p < 0.05). For boys, a non-significant positive trend was observed for both motor and locomotion skills. Conclusions: Our findings underscore the lasting influence of early literacy stimulation and subsequent motor skills-particularly for girls who may receive less gross motor encouragement than boys. As such, promoting literacy-rich environments in toddlerhood is a family strategy to support healthy, confident, and active youth development.