The relationship between maternal sensitivity and play during early childhood with the development of cognitive skills and socio-emotional competencies : longitudinal evidence from Peru

Abstract

Maternal sensitivity and opportunities for play and exploration are key elements of early childhood development. There is limited evidence of its association with skills development during late childhood and adolescence in developing countries. This study uses longitudinal data from the Young Lives study, which has tracked the livelihoods of approximately 2000 Peruvian children since 2002. We used a multivariate linear regression strategy to generate evidence of the role of early maternal sensitivity and play in skills development. We found that both are positively related to cognitive skills and socio-emotional competencies at age 8, with persistency up to age 15.