Whereas novel inquiry has displayed a positive connection between stimulating family activities and children’s abilities, little is known about the moderating role of the parenting style in the effect of the familial socioeconomic status (SES) and the impact of the family language on children’s language competence. This paper sets out to explore the influence of structural and process features in the family on children’s language proficiency. The sample covers 314 six-year-old children with and without a migration background. The results of a path analysis via multiple linear regressions disclose parenting style as a mediator of family structural background. Structural equation models show that in native German families the SES accounts children’s verbal abilities, whereas in migrant families stimulating activities are more essential. Moreover, parenting style affects verbal skills independently of the family language. This is of methodological pertinence as in operationalisations parenting style is often inadequately distinguished from stimulating activities.