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Adventures in Reading: Family Literacy Bags

Parents who read to their children everyday and talk about what they are reading together promote a joy of reading and literacy achievement. How can teachers encourage reading at home and support the role of parents as educators? One way is through the use of family literacy bags — a paired set of theme-based fiction and nonfiction books and related interactive activities that kids bring home from school to share with their family.

Reading Rockets has developed a set of six family literacy bags appropriate for a kindergarten or first grade listening level to encourage some hands-on fun and learning. Just assemble everything into a two-gallon zip top bag, and send home with your students.

What goes into each literacy bag?

• Parent information sheet with an introductory note that you can personalize, instructions about how to use the packet, and tips for sharing fiction and nonfiction books with children
• Two books: one fiction and one nonfiction, selected by Reading Rockets for high quality and wide availability in school libraries
• Creativity Activity: a hands-on craft project
• Imagination Activity: encourages imaginative play, writing, or drawing
• Get Real Activity: focuses on real-world experiences for parent and child
• Bookmark: lists the featured titles and alternative titles

Feedback wanted

If you use the family literacy bags in your classroom, we'd love to get feedback on how well they worked, new theme ideas, or ways to improve the packs. Contact us by e-mail (in the subject field, select "Family Literacy Bags"). Thank you!

To learn more, please read our article about family literacy bags.

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