Using data from the 1991 and 1993 National Household Education Surveys, this paper discusses the effectiveness and value of various literacy activities that prekindergarten children engage in with their parents. It examines changes in rates of participation in family literacy activities between the two years, and the relationship between the frequency of family-child participation and child characteristics. It advocates parental involvement in children's education, literacy in particular, and argues that it is beneficial for child developmental outcomes.