LITERACY-RICH ENVIRONMENTS:

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.