Abstract
Engaging young children in literacy activities at home is one way for families to augment and enrich the home literacy setting and to participate in their child’s education at an early age (St. Pierre et al. in Dev Psychol 41(6): 953–970, 2005). Burgess et al. (Read Res Quart 4(4): 408–426, 2002) suggested that the resources families have at their disposal, the quality of literacy role models provided by parents, and the types of literacy and language activities in which parents and children engage, are all related to young children’s developing literacy and language abilities. Other studies demonstrated that even modest literacy-promoting interventions can significantly enhance a young child’s early literacy environment by increasing the frequency of parent–child book-sharing activities (Weitzman et al. in Pediatrics 113(5):1248–1253, 2004). Dever (J Early Educ Fam Rev 8(4):17–28, 2001) and Dever and Burtis (Early Child Dev Care 172(4):359–370, 2002) emphasize the use of family literacy bags for early childhood development. Developing and sharing take-home literacy bags is an exciting literacy-promoting activity that may be shared with children and families to provide support for emergent literacy. This article explores the development of the BAGS (Books and Good Stuff) take-home literacy kits and provides suggestions for content, construction, implementation, and evaluation. Sixteen current books are reviewed and recommended by theme.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Burgess, S., Hetch, S., & Lonigan, C. (2002). Relations of home literacy environment (HLE) to development of reading-related abilities: A one-year longitudinal study. Reading Research Quartly, 4(4), 408–426. doi:10.1598/RRQ.37.4.4.
Dever, M. T. (2001). Issues in education: Family literacy bags: A vehicle for parent involvement and education. Journal of Early Education & Family Review, 8(4), 17–28.
Dever, M. T., & Burtis, D. C. (2002). An evaluation of family literacy bags as a vehicle for parent involvement. Early Child Development and Care, 172(4), 359–370. doi:10.1080/03004430212721.
Molfese, V. J., Modglin, A. A., Beswick, J. L., Neimon, J. D., Berg, S. A., & Berg, J. C. (2006). Letter knowledge, phonological processing, and print knowledge. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 39(4), 296–305. doi:10.1177/00222194060390040401.
National Research Council. (2001). Eager to learn: Educating our preschoolers. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
Neuman, S. B., & Dickinson, D. K. (Eds.). (2001). Handbook of early literacy research. New York: Guilford Press Publications.
Richardson, M., Miller, M., Richardson, J., & Sacks, M. (2008). Literacy bags to encourage family involvement. Reading Improvement, 45(1), 1–4.
Rosenkoetter, S., & Barton, L. (2002). Bridges to literacy: Early routines that promote later school success. Washington, DC: ZERO TO THREE. Retrieved on February 27, 2009, at http://www.zerotothree.org/site/DocServer/Vol_22-4f.pdf?docID=1182&AddInterest=1145.
Shonkoff, J. P., & Phillips, D. A. (Eds.). (2000). From neurons to neighborhoods: The science of early childhood development. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
Snow, C. E., Burns, M. S., & Griffin, P. (Eds.) (1998). Preventing reading difficulties in young children. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. doi: 10.1002/pits.10011.
St. Pierre, R. G., Ricciuti, A. E., & Rimdzius, T. (2005). Effects of a family literacy program on low-literate children and their parents: Findings from an evaluation of the Even Start Family Literacy Program. Developmental Psychology, 41(6), 953–970.
Swick, K. (2004). What parents seek in relations with early childhood family helpers. Early Childhood Education Journal, 31(3), 217–220.
Thomason, G. B. (2008). The impact of the Ferst Foundation for Childhood Literacy on the literacy environment. Retrieved March 3, 2009, from Liberty University Digital Commons Web Site: http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/99/.
Weitzman, C. C., Roy, L., Walls, T., & Tomlin, R. (2004). More evidence for reach out and read: A home-based study. Pediatrics, 113(5), 1248–1253. Retrieved Jan 16, 2009, from American Academy of Pediatrics Web Site: http://www.pediatrics.org/cgi/content/full/113/5/1248.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Zeece, P.D., Wallace, B.M. Books and Good Stuff: A Strategy for Building School to Home Literacy Connections. Early Childhood Educ J 37, 35–42 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-009-0325-0
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-009-0325-0