It’s no secret that the positive effects of reading to your child are numerous. Reading with your child increases vocabulary, learning capacity, and helps improve attention span. Children who are read to are also much more likely to want to read on their own. Shared reading not only strengthens the parent/ child bond, but also helps lay a foundation built on strong reading skills when it’s time to get ready to read in school.
1,000 Books Before Kindergarten is a simple and effective program that helps parents and caregivers build that foundation. So what does it look like? Well, you’ve guessed the goal. Read 1,000 books to your child before kindergarten (and yes, repeat books are welcome). 1,000 books may seem like a lot when taken at face value. However, if you were to read one bedtime story every night, you’d reach your goal by age 3! If you read 10 books a week, you’d reach 1,000 by your child’s second birthday. Twenty books per week (just 3/day) would get you there in just one year. When you consider the fact that the average picture book takes just five minutes to read, the goal seems much more attainable.
This program is a fun way to foster a love for books and reading in your child, and also builds the value of working toward and accomplishing a goal. As you reach milestones together (100 books, 200 books, etc.), there are rewards along the way. Here at the Augusta library, we offer stickers for each milestone, a t-shirt for completion of the program, and add to each participants personal library along the way. Getting started on this program is free and simple, and the rewards are priceless.
Just stop at the library and ask to sign up for 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten. After registering, you’ll get everything you need to track the first 100 books read along with library staff ready with book suggestions and motivators for both parent and child.