September not only kicks off the beginning of the school year, but it’s also National Literacy Month. For families looking for homeschool activity ideas for their lesson plans, now is the perfect time to focus on reading together as a family, sharing new books with one another, and encouraging the reluctant readers in our lives.
Literacy is key when it comes to learning about the world, communicating effectively, and interacting in society. According to research by the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, the country's low literacy rate costs the US about $2.2 trillion dollars per year in resources as 54% of adults are age 16-74 are reading below a 6th-grade level.
"America’s low literacy crisis is largely ignored, historically underfunded and woefully under-researched, despite being one of the great solvable problems of our time," British A. Robinson, President, and CEO of the Barbara Bush Foundation was quoted in Forbes.com.
Consider incorporating a few of these homeschool activities this National Literacy Month — and beyond — to get your young readers excited about books.
Homeschool activity ideas for National Literacy Month
How to make reading fun
Erica Arndt is a homeschooling mom who spent several years working through a variety of reading options with her children. In a YouTube video, she admits that the comprehensive reading curricula she used early on when her children were younger, wasn't aligning with her goals for her children.
"I decided that my goal for my kids was that I wanted them to enjoy reading, I wanted them to seek out information on their own about things that they're interested in," Arndt explained. "Give yourself a break and give your kids a break on the stringent reading curriculum and make it more fun and more interesting for them; I think you'll see a change in their desire to read."
5. Visit the library or book and let your child choose a book that looks interesting to them
On a recent trip to Barnes and Noble, I let my son grab a few of the Who Was Series books that piqued his interest. We came home with a book about constellations, one about Area 51, another exploring the Underground Railroad, and a book about The Colosseum.
None of these relate to one another, of course, but they were enough to grab his attention and brought about several engaging discussions and rabbit trails. Give your child full reign of the children's section of the library — their choices may pleasantly surprise you.
6. Take a hike and read a book!
In 2007, an early learning grant in Massachusetts provided funds to start the Storywalk program. Storywalk is a literacy program that combines the outdoors and exercise with getting kids to read. Book pages are mounted on plaques along walking paths so parents and kids can read while they hike. There are now Storywalks paths in all 50 states and several countries.
