The perfect activity for any season, especially summer time, is a read-a-thon! A read-a-thon is easy to create, fun for kids of all ages, affordable for families and a fun activity to invite friends or family to join. You can read picture books, chapter books or scripture. It’s a great way to get those young minds reading and learning at home!
Never heard of a read-a-thon? Have no idea where to even start? That is okay we are here to help you with three easy steps!
Plan a date with your family to hold a read-a-thon. You can invite friends to join you and even send out invites to make this special read-a-thon day more official. When the read-a-thon date comes choose a room in your house free from distractions of toys and electronics. Fill it with baskets and piles of books to read. Read aloud to your kids. Let your children read to themselves. Read in partners or all together. Just read as many books as you can. Use this special time that has been set aside to help your children learn to love reading.
It may be to read a certain number of books or to read for a certain amount of time. Whatever it is, write it down. You can choose a family goal to reach or each participant can write an individual goal. This is especially good if you have kids who are reading chapter books and may want to set a goal to finish their book. For younger readers who are reading picture books or who need an adult to read to them, this goal may look different. Setting a goal is helpful to guide the read-a-thon. It helps everyone be clear on what this time will look like, it adds a fun element and a bit of a challenge to meet the goal. If a family goal was set it encourages team work and created unity. We really like filing out goal cards in our bundle so we have a clear idea of where we are going.
We have so many ideas of how to add excitement to your at home read-a-thon! A list of twelve ways to make a read-a-thon fun is included in our bundle and it is a great resource! A few of my favorite ways to add fun is by allowing kids to bring pillows, blankets, and stuffed animals. Hiding golden tickets between random pages is always a huge hit! Of course snacks are always a good idea too! Keeping a journal or notebook nearby can help kids have a drawing or writing break and encourage comprehension of the text.
There are more details about how to set up a read-a-thon in your home listed in our bundle. This is a great tool to walk you through all the details if you feel lost.
Remember our Book of Mormon read-a-thon bundle was created for a Book of Mormon read-a-thon but you can use almost every single element for a picture book read-a-thon as well. You can make the alphabet banner say anything you’d like it to say. You can use all of the materials according to what kind of read-a-thon you choose to hold.
Once a read-a-thon is complete it is so fun to give each participant a certificate of completion. This certificate is FREE just grab it below!
This summer we are inviting all of you to join us in a Book of Mormon read-a-thon between June 14-20th. Join us on Instagram along with Primary Scriptures where we will be hosting giveaways each day for those who participate in your homes.
All you need to do in order to join us is…
That is it!
We can’t wait to have your family join in on the reading fun with us! We hope that this time reading brings your family together in the best ways!
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Some of Isaiah’s greatest teachings were his reminders that the Lord loves His people. Though they stumbled over their own mistakes constantly, the Lord never stopped repeating His love for them and His willingness to forgive them, for He is “thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people” (Isaiah 51:22).
There are stages in life that feel like they go on forever, especially in parenthood: sleepless nights helping kids stay in their own beds, potty training for weeks unending, and running to and from after-school activities. While the privilege of being a parent is a blessing, it can be exhausting just trying to keep up every day. Isaiah taught that when we feel like we have nothing left in us, we should rely on the Lord to give us strength (Isiah 40:29). After all, are we not caring for His children?
One could look at the work being done by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints today and describe it as “marvelous” and a “wonder” (Isaiah 29:14). With temples across the world, missionaries on nearly every continent, and millions of suffering people relieved by Church aid, it truly is impressive. Yet Isaiah marveled not at the Church itself, but at the healing power of Jesus Christ in the hearts of so many of God’s children. It’s not the temples themselves that are a wonder, but the eternal covenants made inside. It’s not the number of missionaries serving that is a marvelous work, but the individual souls who are being taught by each sister and elder. It’s not the exact dollar amount spent on humanitarian efforts that made Isaiah’s vision great, but the difference made in each life through kindness and giving in the Savior’s name.