Enhancing cognitive stimulation at home: PlayReadVIP for Brazilian families

Parenting practices, such as reading aloud, teaching, and playing, make an important contribution to early relational health and are associated with long-term child development and school readiness. This study investigated whether participation in an evidence-based parent–child interaction programme (PlayReadVIP) adapted to Brazil for virtual delivery was associated with changes in cognitive stimulation. Employing a single-group pre- and post-intervention design, the study enrolled 15 mother–child dyads with children aged 5–56 months. Parents were interviewed before and after attending three sessions of PlayReadVIP to assess cognitive stimulation at home. Non-parametric within-group analyses indicated increased overall cognitive stimulation at home (Z = 3.10, p < .05), particularly in the context of reading activities (Z = 2.40, p < .05), parental involvement in children’s development (Z = 2.62, p < .05), and parental responsivity (Z = 3.14, p < .05) after participation in three PlayReadVIP sessions. Findings suggest that the virtual, Brazilian adaptation of PlayReadVIP may benefit Brazilian families, even with a limited number of sessions.