Create a "Family Reading Experience"

Celebrate National Reading Month in March with a fun Family Reading Night. 

A Family Reading Night can be as simple as having teachers, special guests or local authors read stories in different classrooms OR you can take your event further by engaging families in fun activities that help teach skills families can use at home to build Comprehension, Phonics, Reading Fluency, Vocabulary and Phonological Awareness.

Get Started!

  1. Connect with school administrators, community members, librarians and school literacy specialists to gather their ideas and support 
  2. Explore the National PTA's Family Reading Experience Toolkit which includes includes free recommended book lists and interactive activities for each book, Invitation Flyer, Sample Morning Announcements, Newsletter blurbs, Press Releases, reading tip sheets, and more.  
  3. Think about if you want to invite guest readers.
  4. Select books and activities for your event.
  5. Consider if you want to give-away books or host a book swap.
  6. Organize your volunteers & host a great event
  7. Share videos and social media messages to remind families that when they read together – the love of reading grows. #PTAPROUD

Research shows that when families read together, learning happens and memories are made that last a lifetime.

Dates to Consider

March is National Reading Month
March 2nd: National Read Across America Day & Dr. Seuss's Birthday (He was born in 1904)
March 3rd -9th, 2019: National Foreign Language Week
April is National Poetry Month
April 18, 2019: Poem in Your Pocket Day 

Quick Set-Up Tips

  • Consider if you want to use a theme for your Reading Night (Safari, Under the Sea, Out of this World, Around the World)
  • Set-up 6 reading stations
  • Families will rotate every 15 minutes (10 minutes of reading and activity & 5 minutes of transition)
  • Activities are may be grouped for grades K-2 and 3-5, so you will want to think about how your families navigate the stations and consider setting up more than 6 reading stations
  • You will want a volunteer at each station to lead the activity
  • Enhance your event by serving dinner (or cookies & milk) or holding a book fair or book swap at the same time

Resources