Parents Adjust the Quality of Their Home Literacy Environment to the Reading Interest of Their Third to Sixth Graders

SYNOPSIS: Objective. The current home literacy activities that parents of children in Grade 3–6 (aged 6.90–13.40 years) engaged in were examined, in relation to parents’ and children’s perceived reading interest and the number of books at home. Design. A survey study was carried out among 452 parents. Subsequently, 89 children in Grades 3 and 4 completed a questionnaire about their reading interest. Results. The frequency of home literacy activities declines between Grades 3 and 6. When parents perceive their child as an interested reader, they engage in more frequent home literacy activities, even when they are not interested readers themselves. The frequency of the activities predicts children’s self-reported reading interest in Grades 3 and 4, whereas amount of books at home and parents’ own reading interest do not seem to explain any additional variance. Conclusion. Parents should be made aware of the importance of engaging in home literacy activities with their older child because these activities can still play a role in their child’s reading interest.