Home Literacy Environment

  • Research has shown a consensual pattern of impact and the importance of the home literacy environment in the acquisition of literacy. Read more (1).
  • Parents’ own literacy habits influence children’s interest and motivation for reading. Read more (2).
  • Practice of joint-book reading between parent and child influence on literacy outcomes. Read more (3).
  • Family conversations around mealtime are another opportunity that can expose children to literacy development. Read more (4).
  • Story telling is a valuable resource in Africa that is vital in promoting literacy skills, especially reading comprehension. Read more (5).
  • Other factors that may affect home literacy environment. Read more (6).

Figure 1.

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How teachers can support parents?

  • Collaborate with parents.
  • Give concrete examples to the parents. (link to – tips!)
  • Introduce parents to local possibilities to access books.
  • Introduce to the parents your reading aims and the way you teach reading.
  • If the child has problems in learning to read, teachers need to emphasize the use of classroom language also at home.
  • As some parents may be illiterate, this would be an opportunity for them to also learn basic literacy skills.

What the parents can do?

5 steps

  • Read to the child.
  • Read with the child.
  • Listen when the child is reading aloud.
  • Discuss about the book or text that has been read.
  • Go to the public library with the child or encourage the child to read in school library.
    – NOTE from eBooks – a link to materials e.g. www.africanstorybook.org