Sisters and Brothers as Language and Literacy Teachers: Synergy between Siblings Playing and Working Together

TLDR

Family involvement has long been shown to benefit young children’s literacy, yet research has largely focused on parent–child interactions using school materials. This article investigates the role of close‑age siblings in each other’s literacy development, proposing a unique reciprocity that extends beyond traditional scaffolding and collaborative learning paradigms. The study illustrates how sibling synergy unfolds through play activities in home and community settings, drawing on examples from Bangladeshi and Anglo children in East London.

Abstract

Over the past three decades numerous studies from the English-speaking world have pointed to the advantages for young children of family involvement in their literacy development. However, their emphasis has always been firmly and almost exclusively upon parentsworking with children in specific waysand often using school-sanctioned materials. This article investigates the role played by young siblings close in age in each others’ literacy development and argues for a unique reciprocity in learning between older and younger child. Thus it steps outside hitherto recognized paradigms of ‘scaffolding’ and ‘collaborative learning’. This reciprocity of learning I refer to as a synergywhereby siblings act as adjuvants, stimulating and fostering each others’ development. Using examples from Bangladeshi and Anglo children living in East London, the article traces ways in which synergy takes place between dyads through play activities in home and community contexts.