Parenting ‘five a day’ proposed

The advice – based on the campaign to encourage people to eat five portions of fresh fruit and vegetables each day – aims to help parents remember to take part in daily activities that can help their children develop.

A report, published by think-tank CentreForum, said there was “overwhelming” evidence that intervention in a child’s earliest years is dramatically more effective than later remedial efforts at school age.

Author Chris Paterson said it was also clear that the most important factor influencing a child’s intellectual and social development is the quality of parenting and care they receive.

Mr Paterson cited evidence suggesting that children from poorer backgrounds are much less likely to experience a “rich home learning environment” than those growing up in wealthier households. This is a “crucial factor” in blocking social mobility, he said.

Studies showed that more affluent parents spend more time reading to their children and talking to them and are more likely to praise them than tell them off, said Mr Paterson.

He cited research suggesting that a child in a welfare-dependent home hears 11 negative prohibitions for every five positive affirmations in an average hour, while a child in a professional home hears 32 positive affirmations to five negative prohibitions.

He said mothers and fathers from all backgrounds can make a difference to their children’s life chances by following some simple rules.

“What parents do is ultimately more important than who parents are,” said the report.