National Reading Day is a special event created to bring awareness to the importance of early literacy, particularly for pre-K through third-grade students. It’s a great day to show kids that reading can be fun, rewarding, and worthwhile, helping lay the foundation for a lifetime of literacy.
Whether you’re teaching in a traditional classroom or a homeschool setting, we have some creative ways to celebrate National Reading Day.
Pick a Theme
Choosing a theme is one of the easiest ways to bring focus to an event. National Reading Day offers much flexibility—you can pick a genre, subject, or even a particular author to build your celebration around. For your youngest students, Dr. Seuss and Maurice Sendak are celebration-ready authors. You can also choose a genre, such as realistic fiction, for second and third-graders.
Make It a Party
Who doesn’t love an excuse to have a classroom party? After all, National Reading Day is about motivating kids to read—and showing them that books are fun will do just that! You could have a costumed character from their favorite book visit the class, or let kids make their own character masks and hold a parade. Eric Carle is a great choice for pre-K and kindergarten, with popular titles like The Very Hungry Caterpillar that lend themselves perfectly to crafts and activities.
Create a Classroom Library
Designating space for an engaging library reinforces the idea that reading is fun. If your classroom already has a designated library, make it extra special for National Reading Day with book-themed decorations. If not, check out our Classroom Libraries, which offer hundreds of pre-selected book sets to jump-start your collection! Search by grade level or category for the perfect books for your classroom.
Add a Special Element
If possible, take a field trip to the public library or a local museum. If that’s not feasible, invite special guests to the classroom—round up some parent volunteers to read to the class, or even host a special edition of Reader’s Theater with your students. Another way to thrill the kids is to bring in reading therapy dogs. These specially trained dogs serve as a non-judgmental audience for kids to read to, helping them gain confidence as they read out loud to these furry friends.
However you choose to celebrate National Reading Day, this special event presents an opportunity to reach even the most reluctant readers by packaging reading as an enjoyable activity.
Happy reading!
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