1000 Books Before Kindergarten

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Any child from birth until he or she enters kindergarten can participate in the program. The concept is simple, the rewards are priceless. Read a book (any book) to your  infant, toddler, or preschooler. The goal is to have read 1,000 books (yes you can repeat books) before your precious one starts kindergarten. Does it sound hard? Not really if you think about it. If you read just 1 book a night, you will have read about 365 books in a year. That is 730 books in two years and 1,095 books in three years. If you consider that most children start kindergarten at around 5 years of age, you have more time than you think (so get started).

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

• Register your child at the Liberty Library so we know who is participating.
• Read with your child. Studies have shown that reading with your child provides a great opportunity for bonding. Reading together is fun and will create lifelong memories for the both of you.
• Keep track of the titles of the books that you read with your child. Make sure to keep a record of “any” book that is being read to your child. This includes teachers and siblings or books at Story Time. You can do this in several ways. Download the sheets below:

Reading Log Sheets

• • • • 1-100
      • 101-200
      • 201-300
      • 301-400
      • 401-500
      • 501-600
      • 601-700
      • 701-800
      • 801-900
      • 901-1000

1. 1. You can either fill these sheets out on your computer or print them and write the titles in the spaces.
   2. Have the library print the sheets for you.
   3. Download the App on to your phone or portable device:

• • • iOS App available on iTunes
    • Android App available on Google Play
    • iPhone and Android App Instructions (downloadable .pdf)
• After you have read 100 books, bring your sheet to the library (or show your App) and your child will receive a sticker to mark  the milestones along the way. The sheets will be kept in a folder for your child at the library. (The folder will be returned to you with all the record sheets when you complete the program.) These will make a great keepsake for your child.

When you have read 1000 books, your child will receive an official 1000 Books Before Kindergarten T-shirt and a certificate.

The T-shirts are printed on Gildan Heavy Cotton (100% Cotton) with tear-away tags. Size 5-T.

•  The program will take anywhere from a few months to a few years to complete. The program is self‐paced and will depend on how often you read together.
• More than one child in your family can participate provided they have not yet started kindergarten (or is 5-years old). But please register each child separately. Make it even more fun and read as a family!

Suggested Reading List

• Books Your Child Should Hear Before Kindergarten

For more information, see www.1000booksbeforekindergarten.org