Literacy Activities in the Home

"There does seem to be a relation between young children's experiences with literacy at home and their engagement in independent reading" (Baker, Scher, & Mackler, 1997). Therefore, discussing and modeling learning opportunities in the home with parents can provide the foundational support children need for language and literacy development. Everyday experiences and interactions in the early years begin to define expectations about becoming literate.

Recall the categories from the Learning to Read and Write Overview (adapted from Neuman, Copple, & Bredekamp, 2000).

1. The Power and Pleasure of Literacy
2. The Literate Environment
3. Language Development
4. Building Knowledge and Comprehension
5. Phonological Awareness
6. Letters and Words
7. Types of Text
8. Knowledge of Print

The list of activities in Figure III-7 on the following page incorporates the eight categories of the Learning to Read and Write Overview. The activities are designed for parents to use with their child at home. The corresponding letters of the categories are listed in parentheses after each activity. The activities emphasize literacy skills demonstrated in simple daily routines. While these activities provide opportunities for practicing literacy skills both children and parents need. The real joy, however, is in the closeness developed between parent and child whether activities are done in the parent's native language or in the English language they are learning.