Literacy Development Begins at Home, With a Literate Home Environment
One of the most effective approaches to helping young
children develop literacy skills is having a home environment that
supports literacy. Research clearly shows that instructional
environments have a powerful impact on children's growth in
reading. While much of the research on instructional environments
focuses on classroom environments, researchers believe that the same
effects may be found in supportive home environments. Other researchers
have concluded it seems clear that home environments for reading and
writing should be given at least equal consideration.
A literate home means more than just having books and writing
materials on hand. To be effective, parents need to plan for how these
materials will be used. According to experts, the best approach is to
set up a specific family reading area. This sends children a dual
message: (1) reading is an important value in this family and (2)
everyone in this family—no matter their age—reads.
Having a literate home doesn't mean that parents have to be
literate in English. Reading and writing in one's native language sends
every bit as strong a literacy message as reading and writing in
English. The important point is that parents value literacy, no matter
what language they read and write.
In setting up a family literacy area, parents need to consider
three things: (1) where the area should be located, (2) what materials
should be housed there, and (3) how the materials can best be used.
Location
Any place in the home can serve as a reading area. Ideally,
it will be a space that is comfortable and well lit. If the room can be
made cozy with cushions, beanbag chairs, and pillows, all the better.
The room should also have space for family members' preferred reading
styles—be it nestled on a couch, lying on the floor, or sitting at a
table.
Materials
A literate home needs books—lots and lots of them. Young
children need access to a variety of books. Cloth and cardboard ones are
good for babies who like to read with their mouths. So too are "feelie"
books, like
Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt, that use touch
to teach. Toddlers and preschoolers adore storybooks, especially ones
with wordplay and predictable phrases. They also like wordless books
like Alexandra Day's
Good Dog, Carl where the parent and child
can supply their own text, which builds language skills. Young children
are attracted to both nonfiction and fiction. ABC books and
informational stories are as appealing as the many wonderful storybooks.
It is recommended that parents build a permanent library, so
that children can go back to favorites again and again. Family trips to
the public library can augment the collection with exciting, new titles.
Because this is a family reading area, be sure to have reading
materials on hand that appeal to all family members. And the inventory
doesn't need to be limited to books—magazines, newspapers,
encyclopedias, an atlas, the Bible, and even comic books are all
appropriate. The point is that everyone has something they will be eager
to read.
Using the Materials
The reading area should be available to all family members
24-7. Anytime someone has an urge to read (that doesn't interfere with
family responsibilities), they should be able to come here for a
leisurely reading experience. This means that books need to be
accessible to young children, so they can get to them independently.
Even if a parent is with the child, it is preferable for children to
pick the book they want to look at on their own. Since children this age
are pre-readers, try as much as possible to display books standing up
so children can identify them by their covers. Storing books in a
laundry basket or piling them on a shelf can be very frustrating to
young readers.
Young children also need to see their parents and other family
members using this reading area independently. Seeing their parents
value reading in this way sends children the message that reading is an
important activity. Researchers Timothy Rasinski and Anthony Fredericks
write: "It is crucial that children see their parents use reading for a
variety of purposes, from entertainment to maintaining a job. Parents
should show children the many ways that they use reading."
In addition to using this area independently, families would do
well to create a family reading time when everyone congregates in this
area to read together. It doesn't have to be a lengthy amount of time—15
minutes can be effective, as long as it is a daily (or every-other-day)
commitment. For many families, the best time seems to be in the evening
after dinner has been eaten and the dishes have been washed and put
away. The key is to make this a regularly scheduled event.
In addition to, or in lieu of reading together, families may
wish to use this time for storytelling or sharing family history. In
some cultures, oral traditions are the main form of literacy. Oral
language forms a strong foundation for reading and can be encouraged in
the same way as reading together.
From the research, it appears not to particularly matter whether
parents use this time together to read, tell stories, or let children
independently look at books. In examining parental perspectives on
literacy from diverse sociocultural groups, researchers concluded the
following:
"The home literacy environments of European American and African
American families did not differ in the data we have analyzed to date
as strongly as those of middle-income and low-income families. Many
middle-income parents seem to prefer to provide their children with
opportunities for constructing their own understandings of literacy by
making literacy materials readily available for independent use. Many
low-income parents, in contrast, place relatively more emphasis on
structured activities and on ostensible component skills in literacy.
Thus, middle-income families tend to adopt a more playful approach in
preparing their children for literacy than low-income families."
Should this finding be of concern? We concur with those who
argue that it may be more effective and adaptive to encourage home
involvement that is consistent with parents' existing beliefs than to
try to change parents’ views.
How this time is structured, therefore, is not felt to be as important as that it occurs.
In addition to having an area for reading, parents create a
literate home environment when they encourage children to write
regularly. Even pre-writers need lots of opportunities to practice
"writing." Parents can set up a chalkboard or white board in the kitchen
where children can imitate them making grocery lists or writing notes
to other family members.
Children also need accessibility to paper, markers, and crayons
so they can "write" letters to grandparents or just do scribble writing.
With preschoolers, parents might think about giving them a journal so
they can make daily entries, even if these private thoughts are just
scribbles to the adult eye.
Alphabet letters will likewise support children's literacy. It's
important that parents have different types of letters that children
can move around, such as magnetic letters for the refrigerator and foam
letters for the bathtub. It’s also good to have alphabet blocks and
puzzles, letter-shaped cookie cutters, letter stamps, and stickers.
Children love writing their name; these materials give them the
opportunity to do so over and over again.
Audio and visual recordings related to beginning reading and
writing also have their place in the home. Concept videos and DVDs that
feature rhyming and children's books on tape or CD can be borrowed from
the local library.
Having a literate home develops in young children a love for
reading and writing. As Rasinski and Fredericks put it, "A literate home
environment doesn't teach children how to read; rather, it provides
children with opportunities to enjoy reading and discover the many ways
it can be used to enrich the experiences in their lives."
Families don't have to invest a lot of money in materials to
have a literate home; they do, however, have to invest their time and
involvement.
