Pointing Isn't Always Rude!

Remember when your parents used to say to you “Pointing isn’t nice” or “stop pointing, that’s rude” ? I sure do. Chances are, you’ve probably told your own children the very same thing. Well apparently, pointing is not all bad, and in-fact, is said to be beneficial. But before you unleash yourself on a pointing bender and go apologize to your kids, let the details be heard. 

Pointing is said to be beneficial for toddlers.   That's right, pointing is still rude - just not for toddlers…or for you when you’re with toddlers. Other than this stipulation, parental pointing privileges are still suspended indefinitely. Thank you for your understanding and sorry for getting anyone’s hopes up.  

As for the reason why; according to a recent study by two professors from the University of Chicago, pointing is actually a highly effective way of conveying meaning and helping children make connections between words and objects.   The consensus found was that toddlers whose parents gestured and pointed frequently when interacting with them scored a remarkable 26% higher on language tests in school when compared to those children receiving less hand signals.   The general belief is that the toddlers tend to emulate their parents actions and are more likely to point themselves. When this occurs, the parent is often prompted to speak the word associated with the object being pointed at, thus helping build the child’s vocabulary.

There was another connection made between well-educated and less-educated families.  Well-educated parents were more inclined to gesture themselves and thus, the resultant toddler pointing and subsequent teaching of new words from the parent were greatly increased.      

The Cackleberries Team