How Getting Kids to Read Improves Math

Children today are the first generation to grow up without reading as a primary free-time activity. Reading ability, comprehension, and time spent reading are all lower than they have ever been. And the effects reach further than most parents realize, including into mathematics.

🧮 What Montessori says about the connection between language and mathematical thinking: Maria Montessori believed that language and mathematics are not separate disciplines but two expressions of the same underlying human capacity for order, abstraction, and logical reasoning. She designed her curriculum so that language arts and mathematics develop in parallel, each reinforcing the other. Children who develop strong phonemic awareness, vocabulary, and reading comprehension also develop the precise, sequential thinking that mathematics requires. Montessori wrote that the child who can read with understanding has already developed the mental habits of attention, analysis, and inference that are the foundation of mathematical reasoning. Research on the language-mathematics connection (Vukovic and Lesaux, 2013, Journal of Experimental Child Psychology) found that language ability at age six was a significant predictor of mathematical problem-solving ability at age nine, even after controlling for general cognitive ability and early numeracy skills. A 2021 meta-analysis in Educational Psychology Review confirmed that reading comprehension and mathematics performance share substantial cognitive overlap, with the strongest connections in word problem solving, mathematical reasoning, and multi-step computation.

The Research Is Clear

The link between reading ability and mathematics has been a growing area of study. Research projects completed over the past two decades continue to show the same pattern: children who read fluently and with strong comprehension perform better in mathematics. This is especially pronounced with word problems, but overall skill across all areas of mathematics increases as children's reading levels improve.

📊 A notable study: Dywayne Nicely from Ohio University Chillicothe studied this effect on 63 high school juniors. He enrolled them in online test preparation programs focused on building reading comprehension for one year. At the end of the study, their algebra II scores had increased by 14.8% and pre-calculus scores improved by 5.4%. These students were focused on reading comprehension, not mathematics.

Why Word Problems Are the Bridge

Word problems are a critical intersection of reading and mathematics. They require strong reading comprehension skills to decode before any calculation can begin. A child who cannot fully understand what a problem is asking will not be able to solve it, regardless of their arithmetic ability. Word problems help children understand how mathematics operates in the real world and train them to think about everyday scenarios in a more analytical way.

Reading for Pleasure Builds Problem Solvers

Children who read for pleasure and have solid reading skills are consistently found to be stronger problem solvers overall. This carries over into arithmetic, logical reasoning, and the ability to navigate real-life challenges. By focusing on reading skills, and especially comprehension, homeschool parents see spillover benefits across all subjects, including mathematics.

Reading is a foundational skill, and one that children are engaging with far less frequently than previous generations. The ShillerLearning Language Arts curriculum places a strong emphasis on reading comprehension, building the language foundation that supports mathematical thinking from the earliest years.

For more Montessori-inspired tips on improving both reading and math skills, visit our All Things Montessori blog.