The National Young Readers Week is celebrated every year during the second full week of November. It’s an annual event that was co-founded by The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress and Pizza Hut in 1989. Children come together during this week to celebrate the love of reading. Schools across the globe plan fun book-reading activities and recruit celebrities to read to children in the classroom. To make this week-long event special, children are encouraged to participate in reading tasks that help them develop an interest in book reading.

This initiative not only helps kids understand the significance of literacy but also instills a passion to read books, develop their cognitive abilities and creative flair. Children collaborate to discover new authors, read new books, engage in trivia, and use library hours to step up their mental growth. Schools use library hours during the week to raise awareness regarding the importance of book reading amongst children. Kids’ reading books is the best way to nurture young brains for a successful future.   

Raise Awareness Around the Importance of Reading:

The core purpose of the initiative is to get children excited about book reading and develop awareness regarding the benefits of reading. Library activities include fun tasks for children, like reading out loud a children’s classic, guessing an author’s name, visualizing a story’s introduction, finale, and the middle including exploring new story ideas and brainstorming plots. This largely helps children reap the benefits of reading. For example, comic strips are a children’s reading activity where kids are given children reading books and asked to visualize the beginning, middle, and ending parts. This allows the kids to think critically about the story and use their creative skills to discuss the book and engage in storytelling.

Book reading makes kids more passionate about reading while fun activities help them become more creative especially when they are involved in developing their own plots, characters, and story elements. You can read a kids’ reading book out loud to the children and then have them play trivia or guess the story elements. Another fun activity that helps children with mental growth is ‘Name the book’. In this activity, kids read out a story without telling them the title and author. They are then asked to draw the cover page and identify the book name and author. This gets the children thinking critically about the book and the story dynamics. Most schools ask kids to create their bookmarks for their favorite books after they’ve been read. With arts and books, it just gets more crafty on paper and at the cognitive level.

The reading week focuses on the health benefits of reading and inspires children to take up book reading as a habit. ‘Story Artists’ is a kids’ reading book activity where kids read out loud a short story, poem, or fictional tale and then asked to illustrate their favorite parts from the storybook. This largely boosts their creative ambit and allows them to interact with the book dynamics.

How to Develop the Reading Habit in Children?

Developing reading as a habit in children is augmented by activities that are a part of the National Young Readers Week. It’s important to read regularly, at least once every day. For children, an effective strategy is to read a kids’ reading book out loud to them from their adolescent days so they can relate to reading every day. The initiative runs for a whole week which naturally encourages young minds to take up reading and indulge in similar activities.

As a parent, it’s important that you read out loud to your kids. Children pick up such habits from their early days and if you make an effort to read out to them regularly, they will share your enthusiasm and interest.

The National Young Readers Week allows you to develop a ‘reading space’ for children where there is ample time and place to explore kids’ reading books, interact with other readers and engage in fun activities. The more interesting this space, the more your children are interested and intrigued. Creativity is fuelled by intrigue and the week-long sessions are enough to make children excited about book reading and getting creative.

Many institutes use library hours to let kids engage in reading initiatives where they can learn about new authors, read interesting storybooks, and discuss plots with their peers. Some libraries have literacy programs scheduled for kids along with story hours where kids are read out books loud. As a parent, it’s good to take your kid to one of these libraries regularly to help them develop strong cognitive abilities and a love for reading.

How Reading Helps in Children’s Mental Growth and Developing Their Creative Abilities:

Reading books is closely associated with cognitive development and expanded creative potential. With books, children are introduced to new words, ideas, and perspectives. When they read, they process this knowledge and in turn improve their critical thinking and creative skills. Reading also allows them to enhance their vocabulary bank and literature dynamics. Studies suggest a possible link between vocabulary and reading for pleasure. 

Reading, as suggested by studies, helps in improving children’s focus over time and strengthens the muscles in their brain. When kids read they use their imagination and this consequently boosts their creativity. Thus, National Young Readers’ Week is a great initiative to encourage children to take up reading, expand their creative capacity and cognitive potential.

To help you celebrate National Young Readers’ Week in the true sense, we have hand-picked a diverse range of children’s books that you can read out to the kids. Choose your favorite titles from this collection and let the children revel in the joy of reading and exploring.

Book: Science Fair
Author: Jordan Weaver

An exciting tale of a young kid, Erwin, who loves to explore when it comes to science. Erwin is a regular kid who loves school. He’s good at his studies and his grades are excellent. His dad is a science instructor and Erwin admires him, often asking him questions about things he finds intriguing. He wants to be just like his dad when he grows up. The only thing Erwin loves more than his school is science. Join Erwin on his adventures at exploring things, getting answers to strange queries, and unraveling scientific facts and theories.

Book: The Spooky Nights
Author: Nickeeta Sadafal

What happens when a kid faces something spooky? Have you ever wondered what hidden entities may surface around you bringing fear and fright? The Spooky Nights is a wonderful book that tells you a lot about kids who get scared and how they manage to overcome their fears. It’s a gripping tale about a young girl who has been experiencing fear and how she learns to face them with a determined resolve in a bid to quell any such frightening experiences.

Book: My Hollydog Rides in the Car
Author: Charise Leemis and Amanda Leemis

It’s a marvelous children’s book about car rides and adventure! If you are a book buff who loves to read about fantastic adventures then this is your go-to read. Hollydog loves those car rides and is always on the look for some adventure. This book is sure to keep you pinned till the end. Join Hollydog on her fascinating car rides and enjoy with her the adventures that follow.

Book: The Mice Invade Buckingham Palace
Author: William Barrell

On the banks of the famous River Thames in London, lived a community of mice, enjoying their extraordinary lives. Then the settlement became inhabited by humans who built castles and wore crowns. The mice had no choice but to migrate from their riverside home to another abode. As centuries passed, a brave mouse stepped up with the intent to regain their lost glory. The mice must hatch a plot to pester the Queena and the palace staff to drive them away from the palace. Will they be able to get back what’s theirs? Will they find a solution where both humans and mice can live together in peace at the palace?

Book: Autism Doesn't Stop Me
Author: Gabby Duran and Amanda Zappler

Gabby, a young girl has been told that she is different from the rest as she is autistic. She felt different as she rode a special bus to school, went to classrooms with fewer students, and spent time alone with no friends around. She felt lonely and at times her experiences were painful and discouraging. She wanted to be like normal kids. Then things started to get better for her. She found confidence as she made new friends at school and participated in games at the Special Olympics event collecting medals. Join Gabby on her journey to find true happiness and gain more confidence as she spends time with her friends, travels to amazing places, and wins accolades in sports.

Book: This Is My Home
Author: Ana

Humans started believing in mystical and divine entities due to a tumultuous history of battles, natural disasters, and epidemic diseases. With time they distanced themselves from the natural surroundings in which they lived. With power, they eventually dominated all other living and non-living beings, coercing them to their desires and will. The imbalance, as a result, contributed to the endangerment of future generations’ lives and our planet’s existence. The powerful circle of life features all living and non-living entities that grow and then die, replenishing our planet over and over again. What will ensure the permanence and beauty of our blue planet?

We hope our books help you incur the reading habit in your children. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and share with us how you are celebrating the National Young Readers Week.