Read to Your Child Day

Read to Your Child Day is February 14th

Everyday should be Read to Your Child Day! February 14th is a day to remind parents to spend time reading with their child. 

February 14th may be more known as Valentines Day, but it has also become a day for the love of reading with Library Lovers Day, Book Giving Day and Read to Your Child Day. 

Read to your kids! Monday, Saturday, every day, but especially today! It’s Read to Your Child Day, the holiday dedicated to the bonding experience of a parent-child reading session. February 14 is a dream for book lovers, being Library Lovers Day and Book Giving Day, so get with the reading and crack on, True Believers!

History of Read to Your Child Day

Our research did not turn up the creators of this holiday. Background information about Read to Your Child Day is scant, but not the reasoning behind its origin. Reading to a child is one of the best ways to develop their literacy and educational abilities early on. A study published by the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics found that reading a child one short book per day will let them hear 290,000 more words going into kindergarten than those who don’t have a regular reading session. Buff that book number up to five a day, and their vocabulary surges to 1.4 million words. Jessica Logan, the study’s lead author, says kids with a larger vocabulary are likely to pick up reading skills at a faster rate. Growing up with books can also improve reading comprehension, math skills, and communication abilities. Science has also found that reading can extend your life, reduce stress, boost creativity, and make you more empathetic.

More On Reading

You don’t have to wait to get your kids hooked on reading! Reading books will familiarize your baby with textures and bright colors.  Picture books, chapter books, and early readers are terrific options for integrating children between the ages of 2-10 into regular reading habits. And there are plenty of titles and genres available to keep your kids reading through middle school into young adulthood and beyond! Peruse the New York Times How to Raise a Reader for a more in-depth exploration of childhood reading development.

How To Celebrate Read to Your Child Day

Here are a few things you can try with your young reader

• Read them a childhood favorite. What got you hooked on reading might just do the same for them!
• Be creative in your reading. Act out the story as you read, make up voices, have your kid play one of the characters, keep a dictionary on hand and have them look up words they don’t know and ask open-ended questions about what they think will happen next.
• Make bookmarks or book covers decorated with hand-drawn art or pictures from a magazine.
• Write a story together and flesh out what stories your child enjoys the most.
• Check with your local library or bookstore about storytimes that you and your kiddie can attend together.

Whichever way you choose to celebrate, the most important thing to remember is that Read to Your Child Day is a bonding opportunity. Not only will you instill a healthy cognitive habit in your children, but also pass on an age-old interest that will open their minds to the many fantastic realms of the written word.