With fall approaching we’re typically caught up in the chaos of school supply shopping, fall sports tryouts, and the excitement of the upcoming school year. We all know this year is different, and it’s a lot. Finding downtime among the chaos has become essential, and keeping your family safe and healthy has never been more important. With many kiddos learning from the living room, we’re all figuring out what this school year is going to look like. We also can’t help but imagine everything that could go wrong.

COVID-19 has rendered our 2020 plans virtually useless, but not all hope is lost. Mark your calendars, because Read to Them is hosting a nationwide reading initiative, Read Aloud to a Child Week, and everyone can participate. The program runs from October 25th – October 31st, and it’s a no-stress way to engage with the literacy community.

It’s as easy as picking up a book and reading aloud as a family. While you can read any title, Read to Them curates tons of content, including book lists for picture and chapter books that follow the selected theme. It’s important to remember to go back to the basics. This is a simple way to spend quality time with your family, take a break from the screen, and ensure your kiddo is still getting their educational fix – reading aloud to your child.

There is a large pool of research that both documents and confirms how reading aloud to children may be the most important activity parents share with their children. Not only can reading aloud aid in developing a child’s literacy and reading comprehension skills, but it can also help nourish and maintain a lifelong bond between parent and child.

Read Aloud to a Child Week: Reading Aloud as a Distance Tool

I know what you’re thinking: with a busy schedule AND distance learning, how do I find the time to read aloud with my child? Try adding 10-15 minutes of reading into your existing schedule gradually. Take advantage of the time you have with your child: bath time, getting ready for bed, or even at the dinner table. Surrounding your kiddo with reading materials is likely to lay the seeds for an avid bookworm, especially if they see Mom and Dad with a book, too!

Reading together is an excellent practice to bring into your home. Read to Them, a non-profit based in Richmond, Virginia can help get you started and provide the support you need. Their programs offer schools and families the tools, resources, and guidance necessary to create a culture of literacy in every home.

Save the date, because this is an event to look forward to. Driven by social media, the week will be filled with live readings, activities for your family to participate in, engagement from the literacy community, and much more.  

Read to Them will announce the theme in September, so be on the lookout for an announcement. This year’s theme is definitely one to be excited about.

Read to Them Monthly Digital Reading Program

However, you don’t have to wait to start. Read to Them offers a monthly digital reading program called #OneBookConnects. Created to meet the needs of social distancing, it’s a new way of presenting a community reading program! Rather than having students join together at school during the day and at home in the evening, #OneBookConnects is a one-hundred percent online initiative. Read to Them handles all the logistics and provides any and all materials you may need for the read. All you have to do is get the book and follow along on their social media pages.

I know this school year is already overwhelming, and it hasn’t even started yet. But organizations like Read to Them® are ready to support us through our distance learning journey. So, save the date for Read Aloud to a Child Week, lean on your fellow distance learning families for support, and don’t overcomplicate it. When in doubt, pick up a book and read aloud to your child.

Creating a Culture of Literacy | About Read to Them®

Creating a Culture of Literacy

Read to Them® is a 501 C (3) non-profit organization promoting family literacy. Our mission is to create a culture of literacy in every home.

We do this by helping schools implement our One School, One Book®, and One District, One Book® programs. Our programs encourage and enable reading together at home by providing every school with tools, resources, guidance, and support.

Read to Them educates families and schools on the benefits and importance of reading aloud at home. A growing body of research describes the complex and permanent effects of reading aloud. Children who are read to learn to read more easily and become better readers. Literacy skills provide the basis for a lifetime of learning and productivity.

To further discover why we do what we do, check out the video of our story – How We Built Read to Them, One Book at a Time.