Great Sleep Helps Children Learn Language Faster!

Lisa Franchi November 28, 2012

While it is presumed that children are more astute than adults at remembering new sounds because they are still developing their language skills, they can be as absent-minded as their parents – especially if they lack quality sleep.

Researchers from York and Sheffield Hallam universities found that a good night sleep helps children boost their memory and learn new words quicker. For years, it is believed that introducing new words to children is one way to help them learn how to communicate. But a study involving primary school children ages 12 found that those who mastered new words over breakfast are more likely to forget half of them by tea time.

For the current study, the researchers spent several weeks teaching language skills to 53 pupils at three boarding schools in North Yorkshire. This time, they introduced new words and their meaning before bedtime. Children were given 30-60 minutes a day to learn new words. As controls, some kids learned new words in the morning and were tested 12 hours later on the same day.

The researchers found that those who were given the words in the evening and were asked to recall them in the morning did much better than the rest of the students. Meanwhile, many of those who learned the words in the morning had already forgotten what they just learned several hours ago. What’s more surprising is that those who forgot the new vocabulary performed better when asked the other day – after a good night sleep. And even if the words were introduced during the day, the children still performed better if they were given time to sleep.

The study suggests that just like tired adults, it may take a while for some information to sink in the mind of children. But by making sure they receive adequate sleep, kids can strengthen their memory and recall newly acquired information. Even the brightest children remember words best when they are given chance to sleep, the researchers said.

Their findings that sleep provides memory boost can help teachers deal with children diagnosed with learning and behavioural deficiencies such as autism and dyslexia.

Professor Gareth Gaskell from York University said that children need to learn the material well, but they also need to sleep well in order to weave the newly formed memories with their established knowledge. Dr Anna Weighall from the psychology research group at Sheffield Hallam said their findings will open up a new dimension of research in the understanding of language development.

The study was published in the journal Developmental Science.

Dear Readers,

As a therapist, to any age do you promote sleep to improve cognitive performance? Does good sleep improve your learning?

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Source of this article:

Consolidation of vocabulary is associated with sleep in children