Families Who Read Together, Learn Together!

Nov 5

Reading Time: 2 min

National Family Literacy Month is celebrated during the month of November and it creates an opportunity for families to learn and read together. It also celebrates all of the ways that literacy programs empower students to be the best readers they can be! When children are encouraged to explore a wide range of subjects, their creativity and natural curiosity grows along with it. A continued focus on reading will also improve critical thinking skills, reading comprehension and fluency.

Parents are a child’s first and most influential teachers

The number one predictor of early literacy success and academic achievement is parent involvement. Research by the American Academy of Pediatrics shows that reading daily to young children, starting in infancy, stimulates early brain development and helps build key language, literacy and social skills. As children develop, reading helps with vocabulary, early attention span, and inspires imaginative play. Even as children become independent readers, it's important to have family involvement to demonstrate that reading is held in high regard within the family, which will encourage a lifelong love of reading.

This month, we encourage you to read with the whole family! Make it comfortable for all by finding a cozy place to snuggle up with a good book. To create a more exciting environment, build a pillow fort that will provide a new and exciting place to read. Wherever you choose to sit down with your books, be sure to do it together!

Here are a few things you can do to get ready for National Family Literacy Month:

Set aside a dedicated time for reading each day to read as a family. Turn off distractions such as TV, music and smartphones to focus on this time together.
Pull out family favorites from your home library and add some new books to the mix. Set them out around the house to make them accessible to the children in your life.
Visit your local library and find a new subject or genre to explore.
Read the book version of your favorite movies, cartoons, or YouTube shows.
Start a book club with friends and family to get more people involved with your reading.