National Read a Book Day | EYFS & KS1 Activity Ideas

**Note: This page is for educational inspiration and is not officially affiliated with National Read a Book Day. National Read a Book Day is an unofficial observance in the United States, celebrated annually on September 6th. Its purpose is to encourage everyone to take a break from their busy lives and pick up a book to read. While primarily a US observance, the spirit of encouraging reading is universal and it is followed in other countries as well. For more information on reading initiatives, you can explore various literacy charities and educational organisations.

Understanding National Read a Book Day in EYFS & KS1

Time to get cosy with a book! 📚📖 National Read a Book Day is an unofficial observance, primarily celebrated in the United States, annually on September 6th. Its simple yet powerful purpose is to encourage everyone to take a break from their busy lives, switch off screens, and pick up a book to read. It's a day to celebrate the joy of reading, the power of stories, and the endless worlds that can be discovered between the pages of a book.

For early years settings, nurseries, preschools, childminders, and Year 1 and Year 2 classrooms, this day provides a fantastic and enriching theme for exploring literacy, imagination, language development, and the pleasure of reading. It's about fostering a love for books from a young age, encouraging children to engage with narratives, and building foundational reading skills. This day offers wonderful planning ideas and inspiration for engaging activities that truly resonate with young minds, making learning about reading and storytelling both captivating and educational.

Why Is Teaching About Reading & Books Important for Young Children?

Integrating lessons about reading and books into your practice with young children (aged 0-7) is incredibly important for fostering their language development, cognitive skills, emotional intelligence, and imagination. Early exposure to books lays the groundwork for lifelong learning and literacy.

• Literacy Development: Regular engagement with books builds vocabulary, phonological awareness, comprehension, and a love for reading. Our EYFS Framework - Support Examples for 'Literacy' provide guidance across age groups.

• Imagination & Creativity: Stories transport children to different worlds, encouraging imaginative play and creative thinking.

• Emotional Development: Books help children understand and empathise with different emotions and experiences.

• Language & Communication: Reading aloud exposes children to new words, sentence structures, and the rhythm of language. Our EYFS Framework - Support Examples - Reception - Communication and Language (Free) are highly relevant.

• Knowledge Acquisition: Books are a primary source of information, helping children learn about the world around them.

• Bonding & Comfort: Sharing books creates special bonding moments between children and adults, and books can offer comfort and security.

Engaging Reading & Book Activities for National Read a Book Day (0-7 Year Olds)

Make National Read a Book Day a truly enchanting and literacy-rich experience with these planning ideas and activities perfect for EYFS and KS1 children. The focus is on snuggling up with stories, exploring characters, and celebrating the magic of books! Many of these early years and year 1 activities can be supported by the extensive range of printable resources we have available on our 'Books and Storytelling' and 'Traditional/Fairy Tales' pages.

Here's some inspiration for fostering a love of reading in your setting: (Please use your own discretion and knowledge of your children to ensure appropriateness of each activity and safety concerning any materials given and activity undertaken.)

• Cosy Reading Nook: Create a comfortable and inviting reading area with soft cushions, blankets, and a wide selection of books.

• "Read-Aloud" Marathon: Dedicate time throughout the day for adults to read aloud to children, modelling fluent reading and expressive storytelling.

• Favourite Book Sharing: Encourage children to bring in their favourite books from home to share with the class. Use our 'Our Favourite Books' banner for a display. They can complete 'My Favourite Book' Differentiated Mark Making/Drawing/Writing Sheets.

• Book Review Time: After reading a book, help children complete a simple book review. Use our 'Book Review Sheets - Differentiated' or 'Book Review - Draw/Write Sheets'.

• Story Mapping: Use 'Story Maps' or 'Story Maps - Beginning/Middle/End' to help children retell or understand the sequence of a story.

• Traditional Tale Deep Dive: Focus on a favourite traditional tale. We have extensive resources for:

  • Goldilocks and the Three Bears

  • Jack and the Beanstalk

  • Little Red Riding Hood

  • The Enormous Turnip

  • The Gingerbread Man

  • The Little Red Hen

  • The Three Little Pigs

• Character Exploration: Use 'Book Character Sheets' and 'Character Talk Sheets' to delve into characters from stories. Our 'Character Building Description Sheets' can also be useful.

• "What is a Traditional Tale?": Introduce the concept of traditional tales with 'Traditional Tales - 'What Is a Traditional Tale?' Display Pack' and 'Traditional Tales - 'What Is a Traditional Tale?' Poster'. Use 'Traditional Tales - Role-Play/Display Sign Posts', 'Traditional Tales - Speech Bubbles', 'Traditional Tales - 2-Piece Puzzles', 'Traditional Tales - Match Story Element Puzzles', and 'Traditional Tales - Drawing/Writing/Mark Making Sheets'.

• Create Your Own Story/Book: Encourage children to become authors! Use 'Create Your Own Book Template - Light Blue' and 'Create Your Own Book Template - Purple'. Our 'World Book Day Story Building Pack - Cut, Stick & Create/Write/Tell Stories' is perfect for this.

• Weather Diary/Book: Link reading to learning about the world with 'My Weather Book - Babies'.

• Explore Historical Figures: For older children, introduce figures like William Shakespeare using 'History - Shakespeare - William Shakespeare Masks (FREE SAMPLE)'.

• Explore Related Pages: For even more book-related resources, please visit our 'Books and Storytelling' page!

These activities offer great inspiration for making National Read a Book Day a memorable and impactful experience in your early years and Key Stage One setting, fostering literacy skills, a love for books, and imaginative play.

To explore ideas surrounding additional early years events, please visit our 'Special Dates Calendar' page.

Printable resources to support teaching & learning surrounding: ‘National Read a Book Day’

For even more book related resources, please visit our ‘Books and Storytelling’ page!

For additional ‘Literacy’ resources, visit the following ‘Area of Learning’ pages:

(Dedicated KS1 ‘English’ Curriculum pages coming very soon!)

Additional Pages you may like to explore which cover relevant &/or Connected themes

More Early Years Event Pages for September

Explore special dates (including awareness dates, festivals, celebrations & events) relevant to your EYFS & KS1 children

Browse our ‘Special Dates Calendar’ page using the link below. You’ll find calendars for every month of the year to aid your planning!

SEARCH ‘LITTLE OWLS Resources’ USING THE FOLLOWING MENU BUTTONS…

Disclaimer:
This page is for educational purposes only and is intended to support early years and primary practitioners with ideas and resources related to 'National Read a Book Day'. We are not officially affiliated with or endorsed by any specific founder or official organisation for this informal observance. We do not claim any rights to specific trademarks or official materials associated with this day. For more information on reading initiatives, you can explore various literacy charities and educational organisations.