The more books children are exposed to, the more they learn about how the world works and how stories work--and the more vocabulary words they are exposed to. Having encountered a word before in their lives helps children immeasurably when they begin to learn to read and sound out words ("ca...caul...oh! I know this word: cauliflower!").
Planting Seeds for Kindergarten is Northfield's take on "1000 Books Before Kindergarten," a nationwide program that encourages families and caregivers to read 1,000 books with young children before they enter kindergarten.
Books encountered in storytime count; audiobooks count; and repeated readings of the same book count (repetition is a key way children learn!).
To get started, pick up a "seeds sheet" at one of the below sites and start filling in a seed for every book you or another person reads to your child. Your child will receive rewards for every 100 books read.
Pick up a starter sheet at the library!
This is such a great free opportunity for families--please take advantage of it! Thanks to the Northfield Area United Way and Dolly Parton's Imagination Library program, area children can receive a free book in the mail every month until they turn five. The selections are wonderful, too: they include classics and recently released titles, are matched to your child's age, and culminate with Nancy Carlson's Look Out, Kindergarten, Here I Come!
Parton began the Imagination Library program to encourage children and parents to read together, to foster a love of reading, and to ensure that families of all income levels could own books at home.
The program is FREE to families who live in the Northfield area: Northfield, Dundas, Dennison, Nerstrand, Lonsdale, Montgomery, Webster, LeCenter, and Kilkenny.
Register online (ignore message in red and click "AVAILABLE! Click to continue" button)
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