Establish a Literate Home 1

Establish a Literate
Home

Practical Home Resources for
Parents

Literacy-Rich Environment
A literate home means more than just having books and
writing materials on hand. Parents need to plan for how those
materials will be used. According to experts, the best
approach is to set-up a family reading area. This
communicates that:
1. Reading is an important value in this home.
2. Everyone, no matter his or her age, reads in this home.
Establish a regular time and place for regular reading sessions
such as before bed (read-aloud or individually).
Balance time spent among sports, entertainment, reading,
homework, and other activities.
Connect Home to School
Utilize time
Plan time with your children
Use car time to talk about literacy and school
Plan to eat together more often
Plan activities as a family that promote literacy
Limit television/media- TV tickets that they can
spend
Motivating Your Child
Let your children hear you praising them to other people.
Show your child the four As: Attention, Appreciation,
Affection, and Acceptance.
Every child is gifted if we will look for the ways. Help your
children discover their own giftedness.
Encourage children to read biographies of success people to
emulate as role models.




Literacy in Lexington, KY
The Carnegie Literacy and Learning Center
Family Fun and Learning Nights
Book clubs
Tutoring
Explorium
Childrens museum with multiple literacy
opportunities
Reading Camps
Activates and builds literacy in camp setting
Joseph-Beth Booksellers
Free author visits and readings
Lexington Childrens Theatre
Performances, Classes for all ages


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Remember the ultimate goal- To help your child read for
pleasure and make the personal choice to read.
Book Selection is Key
Have a variety of books in your home.
Work on building home library. Swap books with friends,
check used stores, or give books as gifts.
If you are unsure where to start, award winners are a great
place (Caldecott or Newbery).
Utilize the Public Library
Summer Reading Program- Encourages reading throughout
summer. Students log activities and receive rewards.
Family story times, classes and activities for all ages.
Provides recommended booklists, staff picks, bestseller lists,
book talks with other students.
Free downloads of digital print materials: eBooks, audiobooks,
magazines, comics and graphic novels, and music.
Interlibrary Loan System- books available from other libraries
for free.
Literacy Resources
Reading Activity Calendar- free download online. Provides
fresh, simple ideas to improve literacy at home. A new idea
every day.
Reading is Fundamental- http://www.rif.org
Reading Adventure Packs- free download of themed reading
packs. Includes books, parent outlines, crafts, and many
correlating activities. Themes include everything from
dinosaurs to cooking to music. Something for everyone!
Reading Rockets- http://www.readingrockets.org
Monthly Reading Rockets Newsletter- Delivered to your inbox.
Includes creative, fun ideas for exploring different genres and
activities that correlate with those genres.
Newsletter-
http://www.readingrockets.org/newsletters/extras



Variety of resources for all ages
at the library.









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Fun Reading Activities
Treasure hunt- Create a treasure hunt for a sibling or friend.
For the treasure, pick something you want them to find.
Leave picture or word clues to follow to reach the treasure.
Your turn. Have them do the same for you.
News hound- Look through the newspaper or online to find a
news event from another city, state or country. Find as much
information on the topic as possible. Share what you learned
about the event with a friend or family member.
Journal it- Keep a journal about what you have done each
week during the summer. At the end of summer, go back and
read what you did. Which week was the best week of the
summer? Which activity did you enjoy the most?
Shopping list- Create shopping lists and use weekly sale ads
to record prices and finalize shopping plan for the family.
Round and round- Start a round robin story. You write the
beginning. Ask friends or family members to add to it until it
has an ending. Bring everyone together and read the story.
Track it- Set a reading goal for the summer. Decide how
many books you want to read. Make a chart to keep track of
all the books you read. Did you reach your goal? Did you go
beyond it?
Bingo- Each space on the card encourages student to choose
a book they wouldnt normally choose. Selections include-
choose a one word title, a bestselling book, the first book by
a favorite author, a book that became a movie, etc.
Road trip- When planning a vacation, let your child see the
road map and help you plan where you will drive. Talk about
where you will start and where you will end up. Let your child
follow the route between these two points. Encourage your
child to write to the Chamber of Commerce for brochures
about places you will see on your trip.
Illustrate it- Find a fable, fairy tale, or other short story for
your child to read. Then ask your child to illustrate a part of
the story he or she likes best or describe a favorite character.
Have the child dictate or write a few sentences that tell about
this picture.
Cookbooking- Show your child a recipe and go over it
together. Ask your child to read the recipe to you as you
work, and tell the child that each step must be done in a
special order. Let your child help mix the ingredients. Allow
your child to write down other recipes from the cookbook
that he or she would like to help make


Have Fun!

Discover and Explore



Develop practical literacies!





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References
Henry, K., Lagos, A., & Berndt, F. (2012). Bridging the literacy
gap between boys and girls: An opportunity for the National
Year of Reading 2012. Australian Library Journal, 61(2), 143-
150.
Larson, L. (2012). It's Time to Turn the Digital Page:
Preservice Teachers Explore E-Book Reading. Journal Of
Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 56(4), 280-290.
Logan, S., & Johnston, R. (2010). Investigating gender
differences in reading. Educational Review, 62(2), 175-187.
doi:10.1080/00131911003637006
Senn, N. (2012). Effective Approaches to Motivate and Engage
Reluctant Boys in Literacy. Reading Teacher, 66(3), 211-220.
doi:10.1002/TRTR.01107
The Carnegie Center for Literacy. Retrieved June 17, 2014,
from http://carnegieliteracy.org/
Explorium.com - Welcome to the Explorium of Lexington
Retrieved June 17, 2014, from http://explorium.com/
Joseph-Beth Booksellers. Retrieved June 17, 2014, from
http://www.josephbeth.com/
Lexington Children's Theatre. Retrieved June 17, 2014, from
http://www.lctonstage.org/
Lexington Public Library | Reading is Just the Beginning!
Retrieved June 17, 2014, from http://www.lexpublib.org/
Reading Camp Step for Growth and Success of Struggling
Readers. Retrieved June 17, 2014, from
http://readingcamprocks.org/
Reading Is Fundamental, Inc. (RIF). Retrieved June 17, 2014,
from http://www.rif.org/
Reading Rockets. Retrieved June 17, 2014, from
http://www.readingrockets.org/




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