A Review of parent interventions for preschool children’s language and emergent literacy

Abstract

It is well known that children’s language development lays the foundation for their literacy development, though it is difficult for preschool teachers alone to consistently engage in the individual interactions necessary to boost children’s language skills. Given that parents are their children’s first teachers, it is imperative to consider how parents can help improve their children’s language and emergent literacy development prior to formal schooling. This article reviews parent-training studies of children’s language and literacy in three contexts: parent—child book-reading; parent—child conversations; and parent—child writing. Parent training in each of these contexts has the capacity to improve children’s language and literacy, with the effects being specific to the targeted skill. All three contexts are potentially valuable sites for training parents to help their children’s language and literacy. In conclusion, parents are an undertapped resource for improving children’s language and literacy.