Families around the world, get ready to put on your comfy clothes and snuggle up with a good book, because Sunday, March 19, is .
The worldwide literacy development campaign is sandwiched between February’s , supported by nonprofit and sponsored by , and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO’s) , officially recognized on Sept. 8. Each is a large-scale initiative that aims to reduce global illiteracy and promote empowering learning environments for developing children.
Since relaunching the campaign in 2021, International Read to Me Day has become a year-round, 24/7 effort to provide reading opportunities and physical books to the global community. The organization assembles groups of volunteer “” who help in its mission to read to 1 million children each year.
Early access to language and reading is and . Nationwide, a on NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) tests speaks to a need for broad and equitable access to literacy support.
“Literacy is a key component of the fundamental right to education and a critical foundation for independent learning,” UNESCO wrote in its . “Literacy and numeracy have to play an essential role in building more peaceful, just, inclusive, and sustainable societies and in addressing global challenges.”
Digital resources can help bridge gaps in access and support families and educators alike in building a strong literacy foundation for readers at all levels. Mashable’s rounded up several online resources to help foster enthusiasm for reading through interactive reading opportunities and comprehension skills, including free read-along videos, at-home lessons, and other ways to read aloud with your child.
PBS
A leader in free educational content for the public, PBS is a one-stop shop for literacy resources for educators, parents, and kids.
Millennials probably remember Reading Rainbow, the PBS original hosted by Levar Burton that brought interactive stories to the screen for families around the country. You can still find original episodes of the show online, as well as .
It’s also streaming on Amazon Prime.
PBS KIDS posts free episodes of shows including reading-focused (catch them airing live all day long) and on its YouTube page, as well.
The main page for PBS learning resources is LearningMedia, which publishes free resources for educators across all K-12 subjects, including , English Language Arts, and the . You’ll find educational videos, interactive lessons and lesson plans, and other multimedia activities.
Head to the for on phonics, sentence construction, and reading comprehension. The page hosts a collection of videos, plot summaries, and excerpts to practice spotting main ideas, character studies, and literary techniques.
PBS KIDS’ parent-oriented web page publishes for building strong readership in kids ages 2-8 years old. The page also directs caregivers to resources tied to PBS shows that focus on building a strong vocabulary and literacy foundation, like the generational classic Sesame Street and .
As the organization writes, “The most powerful ways to develop children’s literacy skills are also the simplest: talk to them, listen to them, read to them and write with them.”
Scholastic
Publishing house and youth education resource Scholastic fosters greater at-home reading through online resources and reading opportunities, as well as its for caregivers.
Scholastic’s Parents website, a quick stop offering suggested readings and tips for growing young readers, publishes online , , and .
Storyvoice is Scholastic’s live read-along app for grades K-5, which brings together popular children’s books authors and illustrators, reading advocates, and kids themselves to read aloud, dance, and enjoy popular stories. Each week, families can tune in to , interact with the day’s host, and watch the previous session’s recordings.
The free app is and is downloadable on the and .
Want more and tech news delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for today.
Reading Is Fundamental
is a nonprofit literacy organization that runs several programs and grant partnerships with the goal of fostering greater reading at home, in classrooms, and in communities.
On the , you can find, , , and a . The site also runs a calendar, which recommends a different book each day of the week, and shares tools like and .
Each month, the organization selects a specific reading theme and , accompanied by additional reading resources like , , and .
Storyline Online
was created by the and hosted by celebrities and creatives. Its read-along video library is cited by other literacy groups, like LitWorld, and the organization accompanies each video with supplemental curriculum support developed by elementary educators. The goal of Storyline Online’s videos is to encourage and strengthen reading comprehension and verbal and written skills for English-language learners, the site explains.
Check out videos like actor or .
Bookmarks
If you have a Netflix subscription, consider popping on its for an easy read-aloud activity with your kids. The show, which premiered in 2020, was created as both an educational and empathy-building exercise, focused on stories that spark kid-friendly discussion of equality and anti-racism. Each of the 12 episodes features a well-known Black celebrity reading a children’s book written by a Black author, like Lupita Nyong’o reading her own book, Sulwe.
Vooks
Credit: Vooks
turns children’s books into interactive read-along videos featuring engaging animations, music, and voiceovers to encourage ad-free viewing and a 20-minutes-each-day literacy plan for kids, parents, and even teachers. The website offers a , as well as to unlock more content. to access a full range of Vooks read-alongs.
Find , like , , and , on the Vooks website.
YouTube reading channels
YouTube is full of free read-along accounts that post an array of books shared by a community of online readers.
The Black Dad Reading channel is hosted by “Mr. Calloway” and was created in part to show a positive male figure for young viewers. The page describes itself as wanting to share diverse stories with readers of all levels.
This brightly-colored channel posts daily read-aloud videos of children’s books, complete with calming narration and original illustrations. The videos are intended to feel like part of a nightly bedtime routine and veer away from 3D animations and loud noises.
Another narration-based YouTube channel, Reading Is posts weekly animated read-aloud videos of popular and classic children’s books, like Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and The Kissing Hand.
Based on The Gracie Series by Dr. Grace LaJoy Henderson, this channel shares free audiobook and read-aloud versions of the autobiographical children’s stories, in an effort to foster a “love of reading and learning in preschool and elementary students.” Each video is accompanied by discussion questions for viewers following along.