How Chinese grandmothers and mothers share books with toddlers and relations with toddlers' verbal contributions.

Abstract

Grandmothers play a vital role as caregivers of young children, especially in the majority world, yet studies of caregiver-child book-sharing have typically focused on mothers. This study examines intergenerational differences between grandmothers and mothers in book-sharing styles and goals, and the relations of book-sharing styles with toddlers' verbal contributions during book-sharing. Participants included 70 families (59 grandmothers, 65 mothers) with toddlers (M_age = 23.49 months; SD = 2.22; 47% girls) in urban China. Grandmother-toddler and mother-toddler dyads were video-recorded during a book-sharing activity after which caregivers were interviewed about their book-sharing goals. Transcripts of the book-sharing activity were coded for the number and type of utterances from caregivers and toddlers. Cluster analyses yielded similar book-sharing styles for grandmothers and mothers: a follower style (maintains the flow of conversation) and a storyteller-follower style (maintains the flow and adds information about the book story). Grandmothers prioritized the goal of learning words and characters, while mothers emphasized the goal of learning to read. Book-sharing styles and goals were associated among mothers, but not among grandmothers. Mothers who adopted a follower style were more likely to prioritize the goal of learning to read. Additionally, only mothers' book-sharing style (not grandmothers') was associated with toddlers' verbal contributions. Toddlers of mothers adopting a follower style produced more unelicited narrative provisions, while those of mothers adopting a storyteller-follower style made more narrative conversational comments. Findings highlight both intergenerational similarities and differences in how Chinese caregivers support children's language during book-sharing, offering insights into how sociocultural changes shape caregiver-child interactions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).