This program encourages children to read or listen to 1,000 books before they start kindergarten. It’s easy to sign up and fun to do! Children ages birth to five can participate.
Benefits of the Program Reading together is a fun way for you and your children to bond while developing school readiness skills — such as talking, writing, reading,playing and singing — and a lifelong love of reading. Our 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program gets children excited about reading by providing incentives for them to read all 1,000 books. When you first sign up, your child will receive a tote bag perfect for holding books and a plastic folder for your book counting logs. Along their reading journey, your child will get additional items to go in their tote bag, like puppets, puzzles, free books and more!
How to Participate: If you sign up online instead of at the library, stop by South Londonderry Free Library, Jamaica Memorial Library, or Winhall Memorial Library to pick up your tote bag and your first reading log. You will fill out a new reading log at each 100 book interval. Reading logs are available any of the three libraries, or you can download or print your reading logs below.
Optionally, you can record the titles of books you’ve read by downloading the 1000 Books Foundation’s title tracker.
Next Step: Read! You can read 1,000 different books or you can reread the same books over and over. You can also watch animated picture books with Tumblebooks or listen to audiobooks and read eBooks with Palace Project or OverDrive/Libby. Take as much time as you need to complete your 1,000 books. For some avid readers, this program could be completed in months. However, for most little ones, it will take 2-3 years — and that’s okay! Choose a reading pace that works best for your child.
What Happens When My Child Completes 1,000 Books? When your child finishes reading all 1,000 books, they will get a framed certificate to celebrate all of the wonderful reading time your family has experienced together. You’ll also receive a kindergarten starter kit that will provide your child with items to help them get ready for school.