What Five Landmark Studies Teach Us About Child Learning Science

What the best research says — and how Kutubooku brings it to life in everyday homes.

Every parent wants their child to thrive, but what does science actually say about how children learn best? Over the past two decades, researchers have uncovered powerful insights into the ways young minds grow, adapt, and flourish.

Early learning is now recognized as foundational to child development, with research showing that experiences in the earliest years lay the groundwork for lifelong growth across physical, cognitive, social, and emotional domains.

Learning science draws from fields like psychology, neuroscience, and education to understand how children acquire knowledge and skills. A key area of research is brain development, which is shaped by early experiences, nutrition, and responsive caregiving. Learning science also takes a multidisciplinary approach, focusing on child development as a dynamic process influenced by genetics, environment, and relationships.

Curiosity, conversation, and cognitive engagement are at the heart of children's development, shaping how they explore, connect, and make sense of the world around them.

Why This Matters More Than Ever

Every parent wants a child who loves learning — not just one who performs well. But modern childhood is complicated: too many screens, less unstructured play, and education systems stretched thin. A child’s learning environment, including both the physical and social settings, plays a crucial role in fostering curiosity and supporting development. Likewise, a child’s immediate environment—what surrounds them day-to-day—directly influences how they acquire language, understand speech, and develop a love for learning.

That’s where learning science comes in — a field combining psychology, neuroscience, and early childhood education to ask: What truly helps children learn?

We’ve reviewed five landmark studies that stand out for their relevance, significance, and quality. Together, they explain how curiosity, conversation, and cognitive engagement shape the developing brain — and how parents can quietly harness that knowledge at home.

The Global Learning Slowdown: What COVID-19 Really Did

Study: Betthäuser, B.A., Bach-Mortensen, A.M., & Engzell, P. (2023). Nature Human Behaviour.

Key insights:

The COVID-19 pandemic led to significant learning loss for children worldwide, with the most pronounced effects among those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Access to resources, parental involvement, and school support played a critical role in mitigating these effects. Learning loss during the pandemic can impact children's achievement throughout their school years and into the primary grades, with important implications for later development, including social cognition and academic skills.

Key insights

• Across 42 studies from 15 countries, a meta-analysis found that the pandemic slowed children’s learning by roughly one-third of a school year, especially in mathematics. Most children across various ages experienced learning slowdowns, with some age groups—such as those between 14 to 30 months—more affected than others.

• Cognitive development gaps widened most among students from low-income families.

  
  

Why it matters

This isn’t just a story of lost time; it’s about learning equity. The children hit hardest were those with the fewest resources at home — limited books, internet, or parental support. Younger children, such as infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, are especially vulnerable to these resource gaps, as their early cognitive and socioemotional development can be significantly impacted. However, emotional support from caregivers can help buffer these effects, fostering resilience and healthy development even in challenging circumstances.

For parents

Recovery isn’t automatic.

Focus on structured but flexible learning time, and treat mathematics as a priority area for catch-up. Rebuild access and consistency. Kutubooku's curated book subscription sends books every month that are matched with the child's development requirements and interests.

It’s also important to provide a supportive context and create meaningful learning situations that encourage children to engage, explore, and grow with guided assistance.

Storybooks as Science Labs

Study: Haber, A.S. et al. (2025). Education Sciences.

Storybooks are more than just entertainment—they are powerful tools for building reading comprehension and language development in young children. Many popular children's books expose children to rich vocabulary, complex sentence structures, and diverse topics, all of which support early literacy skills. Through storybook reading, children not only enjoy engaging narratives but also practice learning language in meaningful contexts. These interactions help build content knowledge in science and other domains, laying a foundation for later academic success.

Key insights

Children can develop science identity and scientific reasoning through storybook reading and parent-child conversation. Storybook reading not only builds social-emotional learning and literacy alongside curiosity about the natural world, but also enhances children's understanding of scientific ideas, supporting both children's cognitive development and conceptual development. Through discussion, children understand not just the story, but also the underlying scientific concepts.

Why it matters

Science learning isn’t just experiments and flashcards. It’s also how a child begins to see themselves as someone who can ask why and how. Storybook discussions help children grasp causal principles and physical causality, and assist in organizing information about the natural world.

For parents

Storybooks are simple tools for generative learning — they prompt reflection, reasoning, and prediction. While reading, pause to ask:

“Why do you think that happened?” “What could happen next?”

Encourage your child to be self-directed by letting them explore the story, ask their own questions, and engage in exploring different possibilities. Supporting self directed exploring during storybook reading helps children become active learners, as they construct knowledge through their own curiosity. Remember, children play is a natural context for discovery—let play and exploration guide your reading sessions.

This strengthens not only comprehension but also causal reasoning, a key process in cognitive development.

Parents’ Beliefs Shape Opportunities to Learn

Study: Saçkes, M. et al. (2025). Early Childhood Education Journal.

Parents’ beliefs about early reading and learning shape the home learning environment and the opportunities they provide for their children. Social interaction and social interactions play a crucial role in shaping learning opportunities, as children benefit from engaging with both adults and other children. Opportunities to interact with other children and adults are important for creating a rich home learning environment that supports cognitive, language, and social-emotional development.

Key insights

In a large study of 1,490 parents, researchers found that parents’ motivational beliefs about their children’s competence and curiosity in science predicted the richness of home learning environments.

The study also highlighted that a child’s immediate environment—comprising their daily social and physical surroundings—plays a crucial role in supporting the development of general learning competencies. These broad skills, such as self-regulation, motivation, and cognitive flexibility, are essential for holistic child development and are influenced by the quality and variety of experiences within the home.

Why it matters

Parental belief drives behaviour. If a parent assumes “my child isn’t a science person,” they unconsciously provide fewer learning opportunities — fewer books, fewer “why” conversations, fewer moments of discovery.

Positive parental beliefs, on the other hand, help foster self-confidence and self-regulation in children by encouraging them to explore, persist, and manage their emotions as they learn.

For parents

• Replace labels (“You’re not good at science”) with curiosity prompts (“Let’s figure this out together”).

• Provide varied materials — storybooks, magnifying glasses, local plants.

• Offer opportunities for children to develop skill and obtain information through hands-on exploration and discovery.

• Remember, children's abilities are shaped by their own efforts, not others; parents should support and encourage this self-driven learning process.

• The social-cognitive model behind this study shows that changing belief changes behaviour, which in turn changes outcomes.

  
  

The Power of Self-Explanation: Thinking Out Loud

Study: Bisra, K.A. et al. (2018). Psychonomic Bulletin & Review.

Self-explanation, where children articulate their reasoning and understanding, is a powerful metacognitive strategy. It not only helps organize information but also supports the development of executive function and memory capacity by encouraging children to reflect on and structure their thoughts. This process strengthens their ability to plan, remember, and adapt their learning, leading to deeper comprehension and improved problem-solving skills.

Key insights

A meta-analysis of 64 studies found that learners who were prompted to explain their reasoning aloud achieved significantly better understanding and long-term retention.

This strategy — known as self-explanation — activates generative learning: the learner reconstructs knowledge rather than passively absorbing it. Self-explanation is especially effective for young learners, as it supports their developing cognitive skills and helps them build strong learning foundations. For third graders, self-explanation enhances self-awareness and motivation, improving their ability to understand, retain, and apply new concepts.

Why it matters

Many parents rush to correct mistakes. But metacognition (thinking about one’s own thinking) develops best when children articulate why they think something works. Paying attention to their own reasoning is a key part of developing metacognitive skills.

For parents

During homework or play, ask:

“How did you know that?” “Why did you choose that step?” Encourage your child to explain their thinking and reflect on their choices, supporting self-directed learning and exploration.

These questions create “productive struggle” — the kind that strengthens learning rather than discourages it.

Yes, Problem-Solving Can Be Taught Early

Study: Burns, S. et al. (2025). Review of Educational Research.

During the preschool years, very young children and preschool children can develop number concepts and reasoning skills across various subject areas. This period is crucial for building foundational abilities in mathematics, language, and problem-solving, which support later academic achievement.

Key insights

This systematic review found that teaching problem-solving skills in early childhood education (through guided play or STEM-based activities) has consistent positive effects on reasoning and persistence. Learning continues as children encounter a variety of learning situations, where they actively engage, explore, and develop cognitive and social skills over time.

Why it matters

Problem-solving isn’t reserved for older children. Even preschoolers can learn the basics of hypothesis testing, trial and error, and creative exploration. From an early age, children begin to solve problems through guided play and exploration, building essential cognitive skills as they interact with their environment.

For parents

• Encourage your child to “figure out another way” when something doesn’t work.

• Praise effort and experimentation, not just outcomes.

• Support your child as an active learner by valuing your child's attempts to solve problems and recognizing what has been learned through their experimentation.

• In resource-limited settings, use everyday materials — water, spoons, boxes — to encourage reasoning through play.

  
  

Why Kutubooku Matters in This Journey

Kutubooku is an Indian book-subscription platform that sends monthly boxes of curated storybooks matched to age, reading level, and developmental stage. Kutubooku creates a supportive learning environment tailored to different ages, ensuring that each child receives books and activities appropriate for their developmental needs. This approach is informed by guidelines from the national research council and publications from the National Academies Press. Each box includes a reading guide that helps parents engage in conversations and small discovery activities with their children.

How it ties to learning science

• Reinforces the storybook reading model of early science learning (Study #2).

• Empowers parents, addressing the beliefs–behaviour link from Study #3.

• Encourages generative learning and self-explanation by prompting reflection and discussion after reading.

• Kutubooku’s integrated approach is mutually reinforcing, building both content knowledge (subject-specific understanding and cognitive development) and general learning competencies (broad skills like motivation, self-regulation, and executive function) through curated reading experiences and guided discussions.

• Promotes learning equity (Study #1) by providing accessible, high-quality materials in homes where resources may be limited.

  
  

For parents in India & Southeast Asia

Kutubooku makes it easier to act on research insights: it provides the books, the questions, and the structure — leaving space for what matters most: the parent-child relationship and shared curiosity. By offering curated reading guides and activities, Kutubooku helps parents create a supportive context and enrich their child's immediate environment, both of which are essential for learning and development.

Reading one story together each night can do more for your child’s cognitive and emotional development than a week of passive screen time.

Pulling It All Together

When viewed side by side, these studies create a powerful framework for learning:

Core Idea	Research Link	Parent Practice
Curiosity fuels cognition.	Storybook & problem-solving studies	Encourage “what if” questions.
Belief drives opportunity.	Parental belief study	Assume competence; create chances.
Depth beats speed.	Self-explanation meta-analysis	Ask for reasoning, not answers.
Equity affects outcomes.	COVID learning loss review	Provide consistent access and support.

This framework supports children's development and children's understanding by emphasizing the gradual, ongoing nature of cognitive growth. It lays the foundation for future learning, ensuring that learning continues as children encounter new experiences and challenges throughout childhood.

Learning, in essence, is an ecosystem of relationships — between child and idea, child and adult, and child and self.

FAQs

Q1. What is “learning science”?

Learning science is an interdisciplinary field combining psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and education research to understand how people — especially children — acquire knowledge and skills. Research on infants, very young children, and infant development—including laboratory studies on animate and inanimate objects, inanimate objects, and implicit knowledge—has advanced our understanding of physical development and other forms of learning, such as how children process social cues and develop early cognitive abilities.

Q2. Are these studies applicable beyond Western countries?

Broadly yes. While most were conducted in high-income contexts, the principles of curiosity, conversation, and cognitive engagement hold across cultures. The practical form just varies (e.g., local storybooks or community-based learning).

Q3. How does Kutubooku fit into this research?

Kutubooku’s model — curated reading boxes with guided parent prompts — directly reflects evidence-based practices from studies on storybook learning, generative learning, and parent beliefs.

Q4. What’s the simplest thing I can start doing today?

Ask one “why” question during reading time. Then listen. That’s generative learning in action.

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