What would you say if I told you I want you to read 1000 books to your child? What if I gave you a deadline of before they enter kindergarten? Sound impossible?  It is actually pretty simple and you may already be well on your way.

How many books do you read to your child every day? How often do you come to story time at the library? I bet if you added those books up you would be pretty close to where you need to be. You can read just one book a day to your child and reach 1000 books in three years. If you read three books a day, you have read over 1000 books in a year! Plus, if you consider that most kids start kindergarten at age 5 or 6, you have more time than you think to complete the program. It is never too late to start!

There are many reasons to read to a child. A child’s brain develops most rapidly before the age of three and creates up to two million connections every second! Because your child’s brain is at its most active during these early years it is incredibly important that you share books and stories with them to help increase that development. The more they are read to the bigger their vocabularies become and they are more successful when entering school.  If you want to introduce a second language this is also the time since the ability to learn language is greatest before the age of six.

It isn’t all about growing your child’s brain. Reading with your child is also a great bonding experience. It is fun and can create lifelong memories for you both. More than that it can lead to academic success for your child. Numerous studies estimate that as many as one in five children have difficulties learning to read and experts agree that children who learn early do better in school. Children who are read to at an early age will be better prepared to learn to read. They will have heard more than 30 million words by age three. They will have a significantly larger vocabulary by age six which dramatically impacts reading success. They will also score higher on reading, math, and general knowledge tests.

You can read any books to your child. It can be a book you own, a book from the library and even an ebook. It can be the same book over and over again or many different books. Repetition helps kids learn so hearing the same words again and again is actually a great way for you child to develop early literacy skills and grow their vocabulary. You can also count all those books we read to them at story time at the library.

So get reading with your child and stop by the Library to sign up for 1000 Books Before Kindergarten! Your child will receive incentives for every 100 books read and you will help them towards their academic success.