Program Overview
1,000 Books Before Kindergarten is a new Library program that encourages all Holmes County families and caregivers to read 1,000 books with their young children before they enter kindergarten. This program is being adopted nationwide to promote reading to newborns, infants, toddlers and preschoolers, and to encourage parent and child bonding through reading. Research has shown that reading to children before their formal education is the most effective way to prepare them to read on their own. Experts tell us that children need to hear a thousand stories read aloud before they begin to read for themselves.*
How to Get Started
- Any child from birth to the day they enter Kindergarten is eligible.
- Sign up for the program by visiting the Children’s Department at the Central Library or the East Branch in Walnut Creek.
- Pick up your child’s keepsake reading log where you will keep track of the books reads by recording it’s title, author and date read.
- For every 100 books read, bring your child’s log to the library to receive a prize.
- For the 200th, 400th, 600th, 800th, and 1,000th book read, your child will receive a book of their very own to keep.
- When your child has finished 1,000 books, bring them to the Library for their final prize and to have their picture taken.
- The Library will host a 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten graduation party each year. Check with the Children’s Department for date and details.
What Books Count?
- Books read at Story Time if you attend
- Books may be read more than once and recorded
- Books from home or the library—even other libraries
- Books on CD as long as they listen to the whole story
- A book read by any family member, teacher, etc. as long as they listen to the whole story.
- Books read on an iPad or e-reader
How Long Does It Take to Read 1,000 Books?
- 1 book per day x 3 years = 1,095 books
- 10 books per week x 2 years = 1,040 books
- 3 books per day x 1 year = 1,095 books
Suggestions
- Have fun! Reading together should never be a chore.
- Take every chance you have to read with your children, tell and talk about stories, say nursery rhymes, and sing songs.
- Expose your children to a variety of different types of stories and vocabulary. It is completely normal and expected for children, especially very young children, to have their favorite books that they want to hear over and over again. When you have the opportunity, introduce new stories so that your child has a chance to experience and hear many new words and concepts as possible.
- Children learn best when they are in a good mood, so read with your child when the experience will be the most pleasurable for both of you.
Five Early Literacy Skills
Parents can help even very young children learn the six early literacy skills which reading research has determined children must know before they can learn to read. These essential skills needed for school success are:
- Phonological Awareness-is being able to hear and play with the smaller sounds in words.
- Vocabulary-is knowing the name of things and concepts.
- Print Motivation – is the enjoyment of books and reading.
- Print Awareness – being familiar with printed language and understanding that it is useful.
- Narrative Skills – being able to describe things, to tell what happened, to retell stories.
- Letter Knowledge – knowing that the same letter can look different, that letters have names, and that letters are related to sounds.
Celebrate!
Celebrate your child’s reading success by posting a photo on the Library’s Facebook Page or Twitter account of your child reading or holding their reading log. Use the hashtag #1000books