Families Read Together workshops are open to adult learners who are caregivers to children ages 0-17. Those who take part will learn how to help children with literacy skills. There are also lots of great gifts like books and supplies to support literacy in the home. Talk to the literacy coordinator at your nearest literacy center for more information.

READ

These books are all about reading! Share the love of reading with your family.

Try this: Reserve a special time or space just for reading. It can be a snuggly blanket, a park bench, a comfy chair. Make time to snuggle up and share a book with your family every day.

WRITE

These picture books use text in an interesting way, inviting little fingers to trace the letters on the pages. After sharing books, offer pencils, crayons, markers, and paper for scribbling and drawing…these scribbles are pre-writing skills!

Try this: place enough cornmeal or salt to cover a thin layer on a dark-colored plate or cooking sheet. Practice tracing letters, numbers, and shapes through the corn meal with your child, and gently shake to reset.

TALK

Though it may seem backwards, picture books without text (or “wordless picture books”) are a great way to encourage talking! Talk through the stories together, in whatever language is most comfortable to you. Talk about the details you notice and ask a lot of questions. Pause and wait for your child to answer.

Try this: Provide opportunities for the whole family to talk together. At the dinner table, or just before bed, play “Three Things,” where everyone shares their favorite three things about the day.

SING

These picture books feature familiar songs and rhythmic language. Your child loves your voice! Sing along with each page, and encourage your child to join in. Singing is a wonderful way for young children to recognize sounds, rhymes, and rhythms.

Try this: Sing familiar songs together! When songs have opportunities to make a choice (which animal in Old MacDonald? Which body part in the Hokey Pokey?) have your child choose.

PLAY

There are so many picture books that invite readers to play! Move your bodies, make silly faces and voices, and interact with books. Reading out loud is a wonderful, playful activity for the whole family to enjoy.

Try this: Once your family has read a book a few times and knows the story, try acting it out with stuffed animals, puppets, or even shadow puppets! Turn out the lights, shine a flashlight at the wall, and create shadow shapes with your hands or objects. Take turns telling the story!