Encouraging Families to Read Together with Family Literacy Bags

Family Literacy Bags are great for encouraging families to spend time reading together.  The bags contain books and activities on a common theme or topic that children and their families can enjoy. 

Teachers can assemble the bags and send them home with students for a period of time, or parents can assemble the bags themselves and enjoy the books and activities as a family.

The Family Literacy Bags were developed by Reading Rockets and are designed to encourage hands-on fun and learning.  They have developed 10 bags that can be assembled quite quickly and easily by printing off the Activity Sheets and placing them in a large ziplock bag.  The books themselves can also be included in the bag.  Titles were specifically chosen because they are widely available in school and public libraries.  

The Family Literacy Bags available from Reading Rockets are completely free, and can be assembled quickly and easily.  Simply click on the Family Literacy Bag link, choose the topic that you would like to have your kit centered around, print it off, and borrow the books from your local public library.  The bags are appropriate for pre-K to about grade 2.

Family Literacy Bags include:

1. Parent Information Sheet
2. 1 Fiction and 1 Non-Fiction Book title on a common topic.
3. Creativity Activity (hands-on craft)
4. Imagination Activity (involving imaginative play, writing, or drawing)
5. Get Real Activity (real-world experiences)
6. Bookmark

  Check out these wonderful Family Literacy Bags for yourself:

What Happens Next?   Level PreK-K.  Explore what happens in The Very Hungry Caterpillar.  The list of suggested books includes nonfiction titles about caterpillars and butterflies and fiction books that emphasize concepts such as counting, days of the week, or how things happen in sequence. When assembling your Very Hungry Caterpillar Activity packet to send home, simply include a copy of The Very Hungry Caterpillar and one of the nonfiction or concept books suggested.

While designed as a school-to-home project, the Reading Rockets Literacy Bags are also great for summer programs, after-school programs, and home-schoolers.  Download PDF.

Explore Your 5 Senses.  Level K.  The featured books for the Explore Your 5 Senses Literacy Bag are Green Eggs and Ham, by Dr. Seuss, and Me and My Senses, by Joan Sweeney. In the Seuss classic Green Eggs and Ham, Sam-I-Am is ever so persistent in trying to convince you that green eggs and ham really are delicious! In the nonfiction book Me and My Senses, the author introduces children to the five senses and how they work independently and together.  While designed as a school-to-home project, the Reading Rockets Literacy Bags are also great for summer programs, after-school programs, and home-schoolers.  Download PDF. 

Explore Snow.  Level K.  The featured books for the Explore Snow Literacy Bag are The Snowy Day, written and illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats, and Snow Is Falling, written by Franklyn Branley and illustrated by Holly Keller. The Snowy Day, winner of the 1963 Caldecott Medal, tells the story of a young boy who wakes up to discover that a beautiful blanket of snow has fallen during the night. Snow Is Falling explores how snow can help plants, animals, and people to survive a harsh winter and thrive in the spring.  Download PDF.

Explore Farms and Farming.  Level K.  The featured books for the Explore Farms and Farming Literacy Bag are The Oxcart Man, by Donald Hall and illustrated by Barbara Cooney, and Farming, by Gail Gibbons. The Oxcart Man is the story of a self-sufficient farm of years past that takes readers through the rhythms of traditional life on a family farm. Farming explores farms, general farming practices, and the role the seasons and weather play in farming.  Download PDF. 

Explore Trees.  Level Grade 1.  The featured books for the Explore Trees Literacy Bag are The Lorax, written by Dr. Seuss, and Tell Me, Tree, by Gail Gibbons. The Lorax, The Lorax tells the story of how the greedy Oncle-ler hacks down Truffula trees in order to make Thneeds, a rather frivolous item that he believes everyone needs. The Lorax disagrees and tries to reason with the Once-ler to get him to see the consequences of his actions on the environment, but is ignored and the Lorax himself must flee when all is destroyed. In Tell Me, Tree, we learn how to identify different kinds of trees as well as the parts of a tree, inside and out. The book also discusses the important roles trees play in our lives.  Download PDF.

Explore Rocks.  Level Grade 1-2.  The featured books are The Jade Stone, a Chinese folktale adapted by Caryn Yacowitz, and the nonfiction book Rocks in His Head, by Carol Otis Hurst. Rocks in His Head tells a real life story, about actual events and real people. It's about one man's fascination with rocks and how his lifelong interest in rocks made him a very happy man. The story is also a delightful introduction to looking closely at rocks, while it shows the positive, life-changing power of pursuing a personal interest. The Jade Stone shows the relationship a sculptor has with stone. It also shows the honorable commitment the artist has to his craft.  Download PDF.

Explore the Ocean.  Level Grade 1.  The featured books are Flotsam by David Wiesner and The Magic School Bus on the Ocean Floor by Joanna Cole, illustrated by Bruce Degen. Flotsam, the beautifully illustrated wordless picture book that won the 2007 Caldecott Medal, reveals the secrets held in a wave-battered underwater camera found on the beach by a young boy. After the boy has the camera's film developed, imaginations are put to work as the reader views photographs of a curious world under the sea. In The Magic School Bus on the Ocean Floor, readers also get an unusual look at what's beneath the ocean's waves as Ms. Frizzle and her students take an exciting field trip to explore the animal and plant life of the ocean. The book also discusses tides, waves, and ocean topography.  Download PDF.

 Explore Cooking and Baking.  Level Grade 1-2.  The featured books are Easy as Pie by Cari Best and the nonfiction book How Did That Get in My Lunchbox? by Chris Butterworth. Easy as Pie tells the story a young boy, Jacob, who sets out to bake a peach pie to celebrate his parents' anniversary. Jacob is inspired by television personality Chef Monty who blends into his recipes great lessons for life. How Did That Get in My Lunchbox? illustrates the path food travels from the farm, to the market, to our homes, and finally, to our plates at home and in lunchboxes for school. Understanding "where our food comes from" can encourage healthier food choices.  Download PDF.

Explore Animals.  Level K.  The featured books for the Explore Animals Literacy Bag are Blueberries for Sal, by Robert McCloskey, and A Bed for the Winter, by Karen Wallace. Blueberries for Sal is a classic children's story about a human child and her mother and a bear child and his mother looking for berries. A Bed for the Winter is a DK Reader that explores homes different animals find for winter.  Download PDF.

Explore the Environment.  Level Grade 1.  The featured books for the Explore the Environment Literacy Bag are The Great Kapok Tree: A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest, by Lynne Cherry, and I See a Kookaburra! Discovering Animal Habitats Around the World, by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page. The Great Kapok Tree tells the story of the rainforest animals who persuade a man not to cut down their tree by whispering in his ear while he sleeps. I See a Kookaburra! explores animals and habitats from around the world with cut-paper illustrations.
Download PDF.

Explore Food.  Level K.  The featured books for the Food Literacy Bag are Stone Soup, by Marcia Brown or John Muth, and Where Does Food Come From?, by Shelley Rotner and Gary Goss. Stone Soup describes how a group of travelers gets villagers to contribute ingredients to make a delicious soup. Where Does Food Come From? uses photographs and simple text to explore how lemonade, french fries, bread, peanut butter and other foods are made.  Download PDF.

Explore Folktales.  Level Grade 1.  The Explore Folktales Literacy Bag pairs a folktale that explains a something about nature with a nonfiction book. The featured books are Anansi the Spider: A Tale from the Ashanti, by Gerald McDermott, and The Moon Book, by Gail Gibbons. The Anansi story tells how the spider's sons rescue him from danger; their reward ends up becoming the moon. The Moon Book describes the moon's movement, phases, exploration, and beliefs about it.  Download PDF.

 Explore Music.  Level K.  The featured books for the Explore Music Literacy Bag are Mama Don't Allow, by Thacher Hurd, and A Day in the Life of a Musician, by Linda Hayward. In Mama Don't Allow, Miles forms a Swamp Band with his friends and they almost become dinner when they play for the Alligator Ball. A Day in the Life of a Musician is a DK Reader that follows a violinist through her day. Photos show her playing her violin in several different situations.  Download PDF.

Explore Dinosaurs.  Level Grade 1. The featured books for the Explore Dinosaurs Literacy Bag are Dinosaurs, by Gale Gibbons, and Danny and the Dinosaur, by Syd Hoff. During a visit to a museum, Danny encounters a dinosaur that turns out to be real and they leave the museum for a day of adventure in Danny and the Dinosaur. Gail Gibbons, a leading author in nonfiction for children, offers an excellent introduction to dinosaurs of many shapes and sizes in Dinosaurs.   Download PDF.

Explore Wild Things.  Level K.  The featured books are Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak and one of the nonfiction or concept books suggested (see the list below). In Where the Wild Things Are, Max's imaginative adventure begins the night he wore his wolf suit, making mischief and being downright rude. When he was sent to his room to cool off, he travels to the land of the Wild Things where he is crowned king only returning when he's ready to be loved again. The list includes both nonfiction titles about night and fiction books that emphasize concepts such as dealing with feelings and using your imagination.  Download PDF.

Explore Sleep and Hibernation.  Level K.  The featured books for the Explore Sleep and Hibernation Literacy Bag are Time to Sleep, by Denise Fleming, and Animals Don't Wear Pajamas, by Eve Feldman. In Time to Sleep, Bear and his animal friends help each other get ready for winter and hibernation. In the nonfiction book Animals Don't Wear Pajamas, Feldman introduces children to the way that 16 different animals get ready to sleep.   Download PDF.

Explore Time.  Level Grade 1.  The featured books for the Explore Time Literacy Bag are The Very Grouchy Ladybug, by Eric Carle, and Telling Time: How to Tell Time on Digital and Analog Clocks!, by Jules Older, illustrated by Megan Halsey. The Very Grouchy Ladybug follows a cranky bug through the hours of the day, as she argues with many animals. Classic Carle illustrations include beautiful animals, a clock, and the sun moving across the sky. Telling Time provides a fun explanation of time concepts and how to read clocks.  Download PDF.