Read Together

March is National Reading Month and we here at Connecticut Public hope that grown-ups and children will discover the joys of sharing stories and books. Below, you’ll find resources from PBS KIDS and PBS LearningMedia to help you make the most of reading together!

Each week, check out our Learning Snacks newsletter. Each week during March, children’s librarians from around Connecticut will recommend their favorite picture books. Visit your local library! And Subscribe to Learning Snacks here.

4 Ideas to Encourage Family Reading Time
It’s important to carve out quality time to spend with your kids each day. But there are some days when that’s easier said than done! Here are four ideas to inspire your family to spend more time together through the act of reading and reading aloud.

Every Child is a Reader, Even If They Can’t Yet Read the Words
There are three ways to read a book: reading the pictures, reading the words, and retelling the story. This concept is based on extensive research about how young children learn to read, and can give even very young children the confidence to call themselves “readers.”

Use Stories to Nurture Your Child’s Identity
Sharing stories is a great way to help children learn more about themselves and the world around them.

Five Tips to Make Reading Fun for Your Child
Kids have become accustomed to taking part in activities like playing games. You can use this to your advantage and make reading more fun—more engaging.

How to Make the Most of Your Local Library
Something magical occurs when you introduce a child to the library. Their eyes light up when they realize those books contain stories and pictures they’ve never heard or seen. And they can take the books home! The library is not only magical, but useful.

Got a Good Reason to Read?
Learn the importance of reading, and all the activities you can accomplish with reading, with this song from Between the Lions: "Mrs. McNosh Hangs Up Her Wash."

FOR KIDS: GAMES & ACTIVITIES THAT SUPPORT READING

ONLINE GAME: Create Your Own Storybook Adventure with Wordgirl

FOLLOW ALONG WITH THIS ONLINE STORYBOOK: Clifford’s Adventure Stories
Help create stories with Clifford and friends!

ACTIVITY/GAME: Make Stomp Words to Build Literacy
This word building stomp game is a simple way to teach spelling, takes only minutes to make, and gets your child thinking and moving, inside or out.

FAMILY EXPLORATION: Explore your Local Library!
Libraries open up the world for children — with books and more on every topic or culture your child would want to explore. Introduce your child to the library with these activities.

PARENTING & TEACHING

What Parents Talk about When They Talk about Learning
The early years in a child's life are the most transformative and essential to laying the groundwork for later success in life. All parents want what's best for their children and are working hard to help them grow and learn.

Reading Foundational Skills
Reading Foundational Skills provides resources for emerging readers and teachers of emerging readers. Lesson plans include best practices for teaching print concepts, such as the parts of a book and sentence structure.

PBS KIDS’ “READ-ALONGS”

PBS KIDS offers families a place to come together and read along with fan-favorites on YouTube:

Hana Ali reads one of her favorite books, Little People, Big Dreams: Muhammad Ali written by Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara and illustrated by Brosmind.

Join Wild Kratts co-creator Martin Kratt in a very special read-along to his and Chris Kratt's book, Lion Pride! What's your favorite wild cat?

Radio and TV Personality Bobby Bones reads Tomorrow I'll Be Brave written and illustrated by Jessica Hische.

Author and entrepreneur Meena Harris in a reads along to her book, Ambitious Girl written by Harris and illustrated by Marissa Valdez.

Join Arthur creator Marc Brown in a very special reading of his book, Arthur's Teacher Trouble!

Join Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum creator Brad Meltzer in a very special read-along of his book, I am Albert Einstein!