1,000 Books Before Kindergarten
1,000 Books Before Kindergarten is a free program that encourages you to share 1,000 stories with your child before they enter kindergarten. Sharing 1,000 books is easier than you think!
3 books a day for 1 year = 1,095 books or 1 book a day for 3 years = 1,095 books.
Why You Should Join
You can help your child become a great reader starting from birth! Research shows that sharing books, conversations, and songs with young children can:
- Help build their language skills,
- Contributes to their healthy development,
- Give them the skills they need to succeed in school, and
- Develop a lifelong love of reading
How to Play
You can play two ways: on paper with a handheld log or online through Beanstack. Select one of the following ways to play:
How to Play – Paper
- Register: Pick up a reading log at your nearest San José Public Library location.
- Track Your Reading: Each time you share a book, fill in a bubble on your log.
- Show us Your Progress: Each time you read 100 books, take your log to any San José Public Library location to get a progress sticker and your reading log for the next 100 books.
- Keep Reading: When you reach 1,000 books, you’ll receive a special prize and the option to add your child’s name to our 1,000 Books Wall of Fame.
How to Play – Online
- Register: Sign up for a Beanstack account and register for the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten reading program.
- Track Your Reading: Each time you share a book, track the title in your online log.
- Your Progress: Each time you read 100 books, you will automatically receive a progress badge. The more you read, the more badges you will receive!
- Keep Reading: When you reach 1,000 books, you’ll receive a special prize and the option to add your child’s name to our 1,000 Books Wall of Fame.
Ways to Share
- Read together. See Early Literacy Milestones for your child.
- Talk about the pictures in a book.
- Attend a library storytime.
- Read the same book over and over.
- Let your baby play with a book while you talk to your baby.
Get the Beanstack App!
Register for 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten and track your reading!
