Reading or listening to an audiobook triggers reasoning, concentration, and critical thinking, while enhancing brain connectivity. Listening to an emotionally-driven storyteller deepens the processing.

Stories stimulated the same cognitive and emotional areas of the brain, regardless of if they were reading or listening to tales. Their brains created meaning from words the same way, whether reading or listening.

Using wearable technology, they found children with an “enriched language environment” hear about 20,000 more words a day, while disadvantaged children hear half as much or fewer.

Vocabulary at the beginning of first grade is the best predictor of reading comprehension at the end of 2nd and 3rd grade, even more so than print-related and phonemic-awareness skills.