Home Libraries: To Expand Literacy Skills Beyond The Classroom

Could a book change a child's future? With enough of them – and plenty of practice in and out of school – research suggests the answer is yes. Across America, teachers, principals, and even district administrators are looking for any edge in the battle to improve test scores. For many kids, it all starts at home.

That doesn’t mean you’re powerless once the final afternoon bell rings. Innovative schools help build up children’s home libraries. By using reading program ideas they wish they had thought of years ago, the impact is going beyond school walls.

The Power of Building Home Libraries for Students

Why is reading at home important for children? You can probably guess, but recent research by Dr. Joanna Sikora of Australia National University reveals a startling fact: Growing up with a home library significantly boosts literacy skills well into adulthood. Her study of 160,000 adults across 31 countries found that teenagers who have access to books at home achieve literacy levels comparable to university graduates who grew up with few or none.

That doesn’t mean Dad needs to break out his 10th-grade shop class skills and build a physical library in the living room. Instead, each kid just needs a magic number: 80. Just 80 books can make a measurable difference in a child's future success, Sikora wrote:

"Having approximately 80 books in adolescent home libraries raised levels to the average,” she said, adding that once the library size reached 350 books, it was “not associated with significant literacy gains.”

Home reading programs for elementary and secondary students can inspire many short- and long-term impacts:

1. Increased Engagement

Home library programs represent a shift in how we think about literacy education. Students choose their own books based on what excites them. Books go home permanently, eliminating the anxiety of having to return them on a deadline.

Even adults are more likely to complete a task or take instruction when there’s a treat waiting on the other side.

In child book programs, positive behavior earns immediate, tangible rewards. Reading becomes associated with achievement and pride.

3. Higher Literacy

Growing up with books significantly improves adult literacy levels. Sikora’s research found this to be true even in teenagers with lower levels of secondary education.

In-home libraries can turn struggling children into productive adults who reciprocate by instilling a love of reading in their own kids. And the community is all the better for it.

4. Improves Other Skills

This one surprised even us, until we thought about it.

Sikora’s study found that adolescent exposure to books also benefits numeracy skills. She even found that home libraries positively relate to ICT (Information and Communication Technology) competencies.

It all goes to show that books sharpen young minds – period.

Home Reading Program Ideas That Are Realistic + Rewarding

That’s well and good, but how do you get students to read at home?

Schools are finding innovative ways to help students build home libraries:

1. Book Vending Machine Rewards

At State Road Elementary in La Crosse, Wis., students were recently surprised with a new addition to their hallway: a book vending machine.

This particular machine, an Inchy Bookworm, was made possible through sponsorship between Trust Point Wealth Management and the La Crosse Public Education Foundation.

"I think it gives students the opportunity to read a book throughout the day, at night, in the mornings – whenever it's convenient for them," explains Bill Bosch, CEO of Trust Point. "Reading is a great skill set to have. We hope Inchy's Bookworm Vending Machine fosters that whenever the kids want."

Unlike traditional vending machines, these literary dispensers operate on a positive reward system:

1. Students earn special tokens through academic achievement or positive behavior
2. Each token can be redeemed for a book of their choice
3. Students begin building their home libraries one book at a time