1000 Books Before School
Reading aloud and talking to your children are two of the best things parents can do. The 1000 Books Before School programme is a great way to read together and have fun while you light up your child's brain.
What is 1000 Books Before School?
1000 Books Before School is a Buller District Libraries programme, funded through Buller Resilience Trust.
Reading to preschool-aged children has been shown to develop early literacy by building vocabulary and language skills essential for learning to read and speak.
The 1000 Books Before School programme encourages children, along with their parents and caregivers, to read 1000 books during the five years between birth and starting their first year of school.
The more stories you read aloud, the more words your child will know and the better they will be able to talk to you.
How does 1000 Books Before School work?
The aim is to create a culture where we read aloud to our children from birth.
Most picture books take around five minutes to read so:
- If you read three picture books a night (around 15 minutes), 1000 books can be achieved in less than a year.
- If you read one book a night (around 5 minutes), 1000 books can be achieved in less than three years.
We will help you get there with ten adorable character charts, each encouraging you to read 100 books – 1000 in total!
Sign up to 1000 Books Before School
Join the programme at Buller District Libraries and get your ‘1000 Books Before School’ startup pack and a FREE book! The pack includes your first reading chart, book bag, sticker character map, brochure, and a folder to keep all of your reading programme material together.
We will host activities along the way to support your reading, such as Storytimes and Author visits!