1000 Books Before Kindergarten
Who may join . . .
- 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten is open to all children who have not yet started Kindergarten.
- Students currently enrolled in Pre-K are eligible to participate.
- The child or parent must have a library card. Signing up for a library card is easy and free. All we require is a valid photo ID and proof of current address.
How to get started . . .
- Visit the Library and get a book bag and a reading log for your first 100 books.
- Fill your bag with books.
- Enjoy reading together.
It’s okay to read the same book multiple times.
- Circle a number on your reading log each time you read a book. If you the same book 3, 4, 5 or even 10 times – circle that many numbers. 🙂
Visit the Library as often as you’d like, but keep in mind you can read books from anywhere and add them to your reading log.
- After every 100 titles, be sure to visit the Library for more books, a prize, and the reading log for the next 100 books.
- When your child reaches 1,000 books, your child will receive a t-shirt and have their name & picture in the Mellen Weekly Record newspaper.
Tips for reading with young children . . .
Babies (0-18 months)
- Choose board books with bright colors and simple pictures.
- Babies have short attention spans. It’s okay to read for just a few minutes
- Babies enjoy and respond to repeated sounds, words, and rhymes. Nursery rhymes are a great choice for this age group.
Toddlers (1-3 years old)
- When you read, point to familiar words and pictures on the page. Your child will begin to understand that words can be put together to tell a story.
- Reading favorite books again and again helps build important connections in the brain.
- Invite your toddler to hold the book open and turn the pages while you read.
Preschoolers (3-5 years old)
- Emphasize rhyming words as you read together.
- Invite your child to provide sound effects to go along with the stories you read. Ask questions such as “What sound does a truck make?” or “What does a cat say?”