Well, Duh! A National Campaign to promote Reading Aloud to Children

It seems like a no-brainer. Reading aloud to kids when they’re young helps them become readers themselves. They learn to value reading, learn vocabulary and word sounds, learn to recognize print and how to use a book, and, most importantly, have fun. According to the National Commission on Reading report, “the single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children.”  Sadly, though, many, many children are entering kindergarten without having been read to much if at all, especially children living in low socio-economic conditions, and are therefore are lacking the basic skills needed to become successful readers themselves.

So, how great is this idea, to create a national campaign promoting the importance of reading aloud to children? It’s something we’ve been talking about trying in Colorado for several years, and some libraries have even tried such a campaign (see Brooklyn Reads to Babies).  But a NATIONAL campaign? How great would that be?

Although I’m not sure how voting on this site leads to action (other than creating awareness and interest), it can’t hurt. VOTE!