1,000 Books Before Kindergarten Reading Program

The Bonham Public Library is excited to start up this great early literacy program that encourages all Bonham and surrounding families and caregivers to read 1,000 Books with their young children before they enter Kindergarten.
​We invite you to participate in this free program which encourages you to read 1,000 books with your child before he or she begins kindergarten.

​PROGRAM OVERVIEW
The concept is simple, but the rewards are priceless. Read a book (any book) to your newborn, infant, toddler, and/or preschooler. The goal is to read 1,000 books before your child starts kindergarten (yes, you can repeat books!). Does it sound hard?  If you read just one book a night, you will have read 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 five years of age, you have more time than you think.  The key is perseverance. Make it exciting. When your children reach a milestone, give him/her a small reward (stickers, books, etc. ).

​FREQUENTLY-ASKED-QUESTIONS

• Who can participate in this program?  Any child from birth until he or she enters kindergarten can participate.
• How long will the program take?  The program is self-paced and will depend on how often you read together.
• How many of my children can participate?  All of them (provided they have not yet started kindergarten).  Make it even more fun and read as a family!
• Do we have to read books from the library? No, you can read books from anywhere.  Just remember to log them!
• Can I count a book more than once?  You can! Record the book as many times as you read it!

​HOW TO PARTICIPATE

• Register your child at the Library. Register at the front desk and pick up your first reading log.
• Read with your child.  Studies have shown that reading with your child provides a great opportunity for bonding. 
• Keep track of the titles of any book being read to your child (this includes other family members and teachers) either on the log we have provided or on the 1000 books app (available for iPhone and Android).
• Rewards. When you reach 25 books, bring in your reading log to get a small prize. After the first 100 books. you get a really cool prize. At each 100 books, you get an awesome sticker saying "We've read 200 books".  When you finished reading 1,000 books, your child receives a free book, a certificate, a tote bag and they will be added to the 1,000 Books Hall of Fame.