Associations between literacy-related family routines and children's language development: A three-wave longitudinal study in Taiwan.

Family routines play a vital role in children's language and literacy development. However, limited research has examined how specific literacy-related family routines contribute to children's developmental trajectories and whether these associations are bidirectional over time. This longitudinal study investigated the potential reciprocal associations between specific literacy-related family routines and language development among 1,959 children in Taiwan over 3 years from age 3. Utilizing regularized structural equation modeling and reciprocal cross-lagged panel models, the findings revealed that visiting libraries/bookstores, teaching phonetic symbols, singing nursery rhymes, and discussing past events significantly correlated with language skills at age 3. Specifically, teaching Mandarin phonetic symbols, expanding responses, and discussing past events predicted steeper language growth trajectories than early engagement in nursery rhymes. Furthermore, the results demonstrated a dynamic, reciprocal relationship: Children's initial language skills influenced subsequent family routines, which, in turn, predicted future language gains. These findings highlight the critical role of consistent, early literacy routines and underscore the bidirectional nature of the home environment and child development within culturally specific contexts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).