This paper describes three case studies of interactions between mothers and their kindergarten children. Mothers and children were of Puerto Rican descent and lived in a midwestern city. Children were bilingual, but used English more competently than Spanish. During the children's kindergarten year, researchers observed mother-child interactions in the home. Observations were also conducted in the children's classrooms. Verbal interactions in the home were recorded and the recordings transcribed. Two interaction types, instructional and informal, based on whether the mother played the role of a teacher, were identified from the transcripts. A total of 49 percent of verbal utterances had an instructional intent, and 51 percent were informal. Interactions between the children and their mothers are described, and transcriptions of some verbal exchanges are provided. Interactions between the children and their teachers are also described. These studies imply that teachers should: (1) avoid stereotyping of minority parents; (2) individualize their work with parents; and (3) learn from mothers about creating language-rich environments. The studies also suggest the need for research on interactions between parents and children of families of various cultural backgrounds and on the relation of children's learning experiences at home to their experiences at school. A list of 28 references is provided. (BC)