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.