Pflugerville librarian: Have your child read 1,000 books before kindergarten
The Pflugerville Public Library is pleased to announce the start of the popular 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten challenge. Beginning Thursday, parents can sign up their child through our online portal at Beanstack.com. All children up through age 6 are welcome to participate.
Studies have shown that children's reading proficiency begins with positive language and learning encounters from the time they are babies. These beneficial experiences build social and emotional abilities, spark creativity and ingenuity, promotes parent/child bonding and ultimately help kids attain better achievement in school.
The challenge is simple. Log each time your child reads a book. This includes books read in storytime, at day care or enjoyed independently. You can repeat a book as many times as your child likes; each reading counts toward your 1,000 books total. If you and your child read three books a day, this challenge can be completed in under a year. For every 200 books read, your child earns a literacy-themed prize with a free book of their choice as a final prize.
The foundation of our program activities and incentives are built upon the five pillars of literacy: reading, playing, singing, talking and writing as identified by the Association for Library Service to Children and the Public Library Association in its Every Child Ready to Read program. These activities are also aligned with the kindergarten readiness checklist created by the Pflugerville school district.
Reading: When reading, interact with your child, making it a shared experience. Ask them questions about the book as you progress. Help them pick out the letters in their name from different parts of the text. Ask open-ended questions about the story and be sure to allow them plenty of time to answer. Have them tell the story back to you when you finish the book. Finally, model reading for pleasure for your child. Let them see you enjoying reading as a fun, relaxing experience.
Playing: Play is children’s work. Through play, they practice different behaviors and improve physical and fine motor skills. Play also promotes leadership, teamwork, communication and empathy. It’s easy to incorporate reading into play. Read a book of silly jokes and make up your own, act out the different characters of your favorite stories, and/or try an interactive book such as "Let's Play!" by Hervé Tullet or "Tap to Play" by Salina Yoon.
Singing: Singing and rhyming help develop phonemic awareness, which is the ability to identify and change the sounds in spoken words. Singing is an easy and fun way to practice rhyming and other word play. Little children don’t mind if you are a terrible singer! You can sing your favorite tunes or try new ones. Try out different genres of music. Make up new lyrics to popular songs. Some classic songs have made the leap to picture book format such as "Blowin’ in the Wind" from Bob Dylan, "All You Need is Love" by the Beatles and "One Love" by Bob Marley. Check out the book and listen to the original song while you read.
Talking: Holding an extended conversation with two or more concepts is a big milestone for children. While there is nothing wrong with “baby talk,” using adult words with your child exposes them to a rich vocabulary, which is valuable to their long-term growth. Make up word and number games with your child, have fun taking turns reciting the alphabet or counting how many steps between the kitchen and bathroom. For further inspiration check out a Read-to-Me Bundle from the library. They include three themed books and activity sheets with suggested rhymes and crafts. You can find a complete list of our Read-to-Me Bundles at pflugerville.biblionix.com/?booklist=20814.
Writing: While writing can be considered an advanced skill, even small children can practice “writing.” Let them scribble on scrap paper, form letters with playdough or finger paint in a plate of applesauce. Scholastic Teachables is a free electronic resource available on the library’s catalog page containing downloadable worksheets for pre-K through sixth grade. All of these activities build up their fine motor skills for later.
Additionally, the optional virtual activity badges support and reinforce kindergarten readiness. Based on the targets outlined in the Pflugerville school district's kindergarten readiness checklist, each badge has several activities to help develop independent and confident children. Beyond the obvious ABC’s and 1-2-3’s there are nontraditional activities to help your little one grow. Plan a book-themed party. Ask wacky questions to encourage curiosity and independent thought as well as follow through in finding out the answers. Even small children with a grownup’s help can use cooking and crafting books to learn how to follow instructions, build fine motor skills and practice cleaning up afterward.
Your child can be a newborn or 4 years old. It is never too late to start reading every day and build a lifelong love of learning in your child. Register online at the Pflugerville Public Library’s Beanstack site at pflugervilletx.beanstack.com/reader365 and happy reading!
Melissa Grzybowski is a youth services librarian at the Pflugerville Public Library.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Pflugerville librarian: Have your child read 1,000 books before kindergarten
