More early stimulation activities were tied to better child development scores, but the pattern depended on who did the stimulating.
In Northern Ghana, more early stimulation by mothers and other household caregivers was linked with better infant development scores, while fathers’ stimulation was not linked. The journal article Caregivers’ early stimulation behaviors on early child development outcomes in Northern Ghana found caregiver roles mattered: mothers tracked with total and personal-social development; other caregivers tracked with total and language development. Many fathers did no stimulation at all, and higher-intensity activities like reading and counting were rare across caregivers.
Quick summary
- What the study found: Maternal stimulation was positively associated with total and personal-social development; other caregivers’ stimulation was positively associated with total and language development; paternal stimulation was not associated with development domains.
- Why it matters: Early childhood development programs may gain impact by targeting the whole household, not only mothers, especially where caregiving is shared.
- What to be careful about: Stimulation and development were measured at the same time point, and fathers’ and other caregivers’ activities were reported by mothers, which may bias estimates.
What was found
The study analyzed early stimulation activities reported by mothers for themselves, the child’s father, and other household caregivers. Within the past three days, mothers reported an average of 2.5 activities by themselves, 1.2 by fathers, and 2 by other caregivers.
Maternal stimulation was positively associated with children’s total development and personal-social development. Stimulation by other household members was positively associated with total development and language development. Paternal stimulation showed no association with any development domain.
Singing songs, taking the child outside, and playing were most common. Reading books, telling stories, and naming or counting or drawing were least common. About 42% of fathers did not engage in any stimulation.
What it means
Not all “more involvement” is equal; who provides the stimulation appears to shape which developmental areas are linked. Maternal engagement aligned most with children’s personal-social skills, which include early interaction and social responsiveness.
Other household members’ engagement aligned most with language development. That may reflect the reality that infants often receive talk and interaction from multiple people, not just a primary caregiver, especially in larger family systems.
Where it fits
Early stimulation activities are simple, developmentally supportive behaviors like singing, playing, talking, and shared attention. These are common building blocks in nurturing care frameworks: repeated, warm, back-and-forth interactions that help infants practice attention, communication, and regulation.
The study also found other factors associated with development, including household toys and receiving postnatal care within one week. Indications of maternal depression were negatively associated with language development, reinforcing that caregiver mental health can affect day-to-day interaction.
How to use it
If you run parenting or early childhood development programming, design for the caregiving system, not a single caregiver. Build practical roles for grandparents, older siblings, and other adult relatives, and coach them in age-appropriate ways to interact.
Focus on low-cost actions caregivers can repeat daily: singing, play, taking the child outside, and frequent face-to-face talk. Also normalize “book-like” behaviors even without books, such as naming objects, describing routines, and telling simple stories.
Limits & what we still don’t know
The data on stimulation and child development were collected at the same time, so direction is uncertain; children who are developing faster might elicit more interaction. Measures of fathers’ and other caregivers’ stimulation came from mothers’ reports, which may miss activities outside mothers’ observation.
The questions on stimulation were originally intended for older children, though the authors argue similar activities are recommended for infants. The analysis sample dropped from the original group due to attrition, and outcomes were measured after an early childhood intervention, limiting generalizability.
Closing takeaway
The signal is clear: infants benefited when mothers and other household caregivers did more early stimulation activities, but fathers’ stimulation showed no measurable link in this analysis. Programs that only train mothers may leave development gains on the table. A whole-family approach, paired with support for caregiver mental health, is the practical next step.
Data in this article is provided by PLOS.
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