Read Across America Day: March 2nd

Nancy — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 06:00:50 +0000

Reading. As adults, we take for granted the ability to read and what we learn from reading. Those of us who love books know that nothing is a better escape than a good one — reality flies away and we inhabit an entirely different world.

Reading, and literacy in general, is an essential component of everyday life. Anyone who’s traveled to a country where the language is unfamiliar is suddenly struck by the importance of reading.

Passing this skill and love of reading on to children is not just a good idea, it’s essential to their development. Brain cells are turned on when a toddler is read to; reading aloud to children is essential to the development of literacy; and learning to read English, a recent study showed, requires “a rich home literacy environment” and that reading “lots of books to children. . . is absolutely necessary.”

Reading the Luna the Turtle Storybook Quilt

So, just how much time should you spend reading to your child? The National Children’s Reading Foundation recommends 20 minutes a day.

A Storybook Quilt is a great way to achieve at least half the daily goal! Each story takes about 10-15 minutes to read; each also provides an additional opportunity for building language and visual skills by matching the events in the story to the fabrics in the quilt.

Oh — one last thing. Do you know why Read Across American is celebrated in March 2nd? Why, it’s Dr. Seuss’s birthday, of course!

Read, read, read!

Read Just 20 Minutes a Day to Your Children

Nancy — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 21:21:03 +0000

The National Children’s Reading Foundation is a great source of reliable information about reading to children and its benefits. “It takes hundreds of hours of ‘lap time’ for a child to gain the pre-literacy skills necessary to learn to read early and well,” according to the Foundation. They recommend spending just 20 minutes a day — and not necessarily all at once.

The wonderful poem below comes from their website.

20 Minutes A Day

Read to your children
Twenty minutes a day;
You have the time,
And so do they.
Read while the laundry is in the machine;
Read while dinner cooks;
Tuck a child in the crook of your arm
And reach for the library books.
Hide the remote,
Let the computer games cool,
For one day your child will be off to school;
Remedial? Gifted? You have the choice.
Let them hear their first tales,
In the sound of your voice.
Read in the morning,
Read over noon,
Read by the light of
Goodnight Moon.
Turn the pages together,
Sitting close as you’ll fit,
Till a small voice beside you says,
“Hey, don’t quit.”
– Author Unknown

Mom reading Maggie the Dog theme Storybook Quilt to her daughters

Remember, you can win Maggie the Dog or any of the Storybook Quilt themes by entering the Name the Turtle Contest!

Storybook Quilts Rocks! » 20_minutes_a_day

Read Across America Day: March 2nd

Read Just 20 Minutes a Day to Your Children