10 Ways to Celebrate National Family Literacy Month

Did you know November is National Family Literacy Month? What an excellent time to celebrate reading together as a family!

From birth to adulthood, research shows that reading aloud with kids builds strong literacy skills. Learning to read is the most important skill a child can learn since all future learning depends on reading ability. All future academic success, professional achievement, emotional and behavioral development, civic engagement, financial well-being, and overall health depend in part on a person’s literacy skills.

When young children learn to read at grade-level, they also feel more confident, capable, and enthusiastic about learning. Don’t miss these ten fun ideas for celebrating National Family Literacy Month in November (and all year!):

1. Turn family time into reading time. There are thousands of ways to incorporate reading into family time. Sneak reading and literacy activities into cooking, car rides, chore charts, and family game nights. Check out some of our favorite ideas in our blog post, 15 Ways to Weave Reading Into Family Time.
2. Support local literacy organizations. In Western North Carolina, a handful of nonprofits are dedicated solely to supporting literacy achievement for children and adults in our local community. Check out Read to Succeed (R2S), Colorful Pages Coalition, the Pop Project, and the Literacy Council of Buncombe County to learn more. Support your local literacy organizations by sharing these links on social media or donating your time, books, or money.
3. Donate books. You can currently donate multicultural and inclusive books to Read2Succeed at the Holiday Book Drive at Barnes & Noble in Biltmore Town Square. You can also donate books directly to local literacy organizations and other nonprofits such as Goodwill, Salvation Army, and the Habitat Restore.
4. Start your own Little Free Library. Perhaps your family has a bookshelf filled with books nobody has read in years: declutter your home by gifting these to a Little Free Library instead. Little Free Libraries are miniature libraries in your neighborhood or community in which everyone is invited to borrow or leave books. You can create your own Little Free Library and register it online, or purchase a library kit from Little Free Library.
5. Support your local library. Your family can support your local Buncombe County library simply by getting involved. Register for a library card, check out books & audiobooks, and encourage those in your community to take advantage of the multitude of free resources available from a library near you. Of course, you can also volunteer your time, money, and books.
6. Transform screen time into reading time. Have your children watch the many wonderful PBS shows that highlight core literacy skills: Reading Rainbow, Between The Lions, Word Girl, and Martha Speaks, amongst others. Research suggests that turning on captions while watching TV shows or movies can also reinforce strong literacy skills in children. Check out literacy-based educational apps like Duo ABC and Youtube read-aloud channels like Sankofa Reads.
7. Start a virtual book club with friends, family, and neighbors. Your children can read their favorite books out loud to relatives, who can ask them comprehension-based literacy questions afterward. They can also act out storybook scenarios with other children or classmates, even over Zoom or Skype. Children love make-believe; creating imaginary scenarios helps foster creativity and abstract thinking in childhood.
8. Volunteer to read. Celebrate National Family Literacy Month by volunteering as a reading tutor with Read to Succeed Asheville/Buncombe. Don’t have the time to volunteer? Spread the word - ask high schoolers and college-aged family or neighbors in your community to become volunteer readers, since many young people need volunteer hours for their school or club.
9. Read to senior citizens. Even though retirement and assisted-living communities are under various stages of lockdown due to COVID-19, your family can still bring joy to seniors during this difficult time. Call your local retirement communities and ask to read virtually to seniors, over Skype or Zoom. Encourage your child to read their favorite stories and explain their favorite aspects of them -- this will enhance their understanding and ability to explain concepts to others.
10. Thanksgiving Café. Have your children write out, label, and decorate a menu listing the main ingredients for all the food options that will be served at Thanksgiving. Your children may harness their imagination in setting up a Thanksgiving Café in which they play make-believe by seating guests, offering food, and reading menus out-loud. They can also have fun “labeling” guests by correctly spelling each guest’s name inside of a “Hi! My Name Is:_______” name-tag sticker