1000 Books Before Kindergarten
About the Challenge
Reading with your baby, toddler, or preschooler is one of the best ways to help them become a lifelong reader. Taking part in our 1000 Books Before Kindergarten program encourages family bonding while your child develops the skills they'll need to succeed in school.
The Goal
Read 1000 books with your child before they start kindergarten. That may seem like a big number, but you've got plenty of time. If you read one book each day with your child, that's 1095 books after three years, and reading three books each day will get you to 1095 books in only one year!
(And yes, reading a favorite book on repeat counts towards your goal!)
Why 1000 Books?
1. Big Vocabulary
Children who read for 20 minutes a day take in 1.8 million words per year.
2. Big Brain
Reading aloud boosts cognitive development at an age when your child's brain is growing rapidly.
3. Better Grades
Kids whose grown-ups read to them have strong vocabularies, write well, and do well overall in school.
4. Bonding Through Reading
Cuddling close while immersed in a book is a uniquely powerful connection.
5. Reading is a Calming Activity
Just six minutes of reading can reduce kids' stress levels by 68%.
6. Reading Kids Are Happier Kids
Children most engaged with reading are three times as likely to have high levels of mental well-being.
7. Social and Emotional Skills
Books give kids the language to express "big feelings," and can even improve empathy for others.
8. Role Modeling
Share your own love of books! Kids whose parents are frequent readers become frequent readers themselves.
9. Creativity and Imagination
Books are windows that open to new worlds. They inspire creativity and stretch kids' notions of what is possible.
How Do I Participate?
1. Register
To register for the program, create an account for your family and child on the WWPL Beanstack site or visit the Youth Department to sign up in person.
2. Read
Spend time reading with your child. Books your child reads with siblings, preschool teachers, babysitters, or at library story times can also help you reach your 1000 book goal. Re-reading books also counts!
3. Record
Use your Beanstack account to log the books your family reads. You can also record the books you read on a paper tracking sheet, available for pickup in the Youth Department or for download below. Once your tracking sheet is full, bring it to the Youth Department for help logging your books.