World Read Aloud Day is Wednesday, February 5! To celebrate the occasion, Pam Allyn, the founding director of LitWorld, shares some ways to create a home or classroom environment for more impactful read-alouds:

Designate a special place and time for reading aloud: Whether you are creating an elaborate fort together or something simpler, like a reading “nook,” building a safe space allows kids to relax and open up for conversation and to engage around the books you are reading together.

Keep track of books that inspire the richest conversations: Make a file on your device to save favorite read-aloud titles. Find space in your classroom to post children’s reviews and comments after reading. Document the journey together, valuing the titles that invite new worlds and/or reflect your deepest selves.

Solicit your students for story recommendations and books they want to read (and read again) to share ownership of the read aloud experience: Scholastic, LitWorld’s extraordinary sponsor in World Read Aloud Day, published the Kids and Family Reading Report, which shows that children are most likely to finish (and enjoy) books they choose themselves.

Make read-aloud a performance: Invite students from other classrooms, teachers, librarians, staff, parents, grandparents, and members of the local community. Stage a play, read aloud from children’s own narratives, or host a read-aloud-athon on World Read Aloud Day to bring the importance of reading aloud to the fore.

Use read-aloud as a tool for social justice and equity: By discussing a shared text, we can honor and hear quieter voices in our classrooms and at home. Make sure to stop for “turn and talks” during the read-aloud and to select books that reflect a wide range of cultures, languages, and perspectives.

In this way, multiple voices and stories wash over your community like a cleansing, celebratory rain, signifying the start of a new era and a time when all children’s voices matter and will be heard.

For more resources, visit litworld.org/wrad. Remember to use the hashtag #WorldReadAloudDay on Twitter to share your stories!