It's so hard to believe it’s August already! How many of your little ones are feeling the summer slide?!
We definitely are.
With school right around the corner (eep! the first year of school! I can't believe it!) we've been trying to up our brain activity and give Elliott little goals to work towards, like reading and writing, which he has been enjoying so much.
Elliott loves to read, and we’ve been avid readers from the time he was in the womb.
I remember our first book purchase was titled Grumpy Cat. It always reminded us of Luna and it’s still go-to read with both Elliott and Noelle.
It’s so important to develop early reading habits with kids. Studies have shown pre-schoolers and toddlers who are read to regularly have a larger vocabulary, a better understanding of everyday life and wider knowledge of different topics that can help them embrace school life down the road.
I really believe our enthusiasm for reading has rubbed off on Elliot because he is already a book worm, which has helped him get better at writing each and every day.
Example: He is great at spelling his first name, but his last name needs some work. I have a family photo hanging in the kitchen that says, "The Clarkes" and I kid you not after I pointed out that our last name was right there, he caught on to the Clarke spelling in two days!
He’s so eager to learn, he’s gone through our personal book collection at home a few times over.
To help us expand our current book collection, we decided to join the TD Summer Reading Club. We’ve also been looking for a family-friendly day date, something educational and fun for all ages so we spent the day at the local Sackville Public Library.
As soon as we arrived, we were warmly welcomed at the reception desk and lead to meet Shelby, the youth programmer and library assistant, who is also a TD Summer Reading Club librarian.
Shelby was very sweet and had already set aside a few books she thought the kids might like -Thanks, Shelby!
Babies and animals for Noelle - she was so engaged from the get-go! (that's when I realized we need to make this a weekly date) and superheroes and dinosaurs for Elliott.
Both the kids were able to sign up for library cards which made them feel so special, swiping their very own cards at the checkout. It was such a great day for the whole family!
Before leaving we made sure Elliott picked up his TD Summer Reading Club booklet to record the books he reads. The library staff were all so friendly and patient, they encouraged him to sign his name in the booklet and talked to him about setting reading goals to help build excitement about learning.
If you haven't heard of the TD Summer Reading Club, I'm going to break it down super quick so you can get involved and keep it on your radar for next summer!
The TD Summer Ready Club is Canada’s biggest summer reading program. Even better, it’s FREE (bonus, there's also incentives for kids to join!).
It’s offered at over 2,000 public libraries across Canada, and celebrates Canadian authors, illustrators and stories. It’s designed to focus on helping kids stay engaged and explore reading in their way, creating that lifelong love of reading.
The best part is you can participate in the TD Summer Reading Club almost anywhere!
At local libraries, at home, and even online. There is something for everyone including individuals with disabilities and preschoolers.
Kids can:
· Join activities happening in libraries
· Read books online and get reading recommendations
· Track their own reading progress, collecting stickers and online badges
· Connect online to share jokes, stories, book reviews, and more with other kids across Canada
You can learn more about the program by clicking - here
The TD Summer Reading Club is an initiative supported by The Ready Commitment, TD's corporate citizenship platform, with the mission to help create a more inclusive and sustainable tomorrow.TD's corporate .
You can read all about the TD Ready Commitment by clicking - Here
*This Blog Post is in Partnership with TD
