Skip to content
Surprising Science

Why You Should Read Shakespeare to Your Children

Listening to Mozart does not improve your child’s cognitive development. Reading Shakespeare will. 
Sign up for the Smarter Faster newsletter
A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

Passive acts, like listening to Mozart, will not make your child smarter. On the other hand, active engagement–learning to play an instrument or processing words–improves mental functioning. For instance, there is a positive relationship between the number of words a child hears every day and IQ scores. Princeton Neuroscientist Sam Wang explains:


Sign up for the Smarter Faster newsletter
A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

Related

Up Next