What bedtime story means for heritage language development changes and continuities in shared reading during children’s primary school transition

Informed by frameworks of Family Language Policy (FLP) and Home Literacy Environment (HLE), this paper explores shared reading as a FLP, evolving over time under the influence of both internal family dynamics and external factors. Combining observations, interviews, and analysis of naturally occurring interactive data, the study focuses on shared-reading practices in Chinese transnational families in Germany. Data were collected during three key periods: the final months of kindergarten, immediately after school entry, and six months later. This longitudinal approach makes it possible to examine changes and continuities in shared-reading practices during the transition from kindergarten to primary school. The results show that parents actively engage their children in shared-reading activities as daily routines. These activities serve the dynamic learning needs of the children in different languages at different periods. During kindergarten, shared reading serves as an intimate space between parents and children to promote the heritage language and culture. After school entry, however, the parents deliberately incorporate increasing amounts of German materials into the shared-reading sessions to support their children’s formal academic learning, featuring code-breaking reading practices. The findings highlight the evolving nature of FLP, shaped by the pressures and demands of a monolingual educational system.