March is National Reading Month!

March is National Reading Month!  Do you read to your kids?  It’s kind of a no-brainer that our house is a house full of books – if you read here often, I’m sure you know I’m an avid reader myself, and I also write.  Books are some of the first things I bought for my daughter, long before she was born.  I love reading to her (I’ve even gone so far as to post a humorous review of what we’ve been reading in our house when I’m missing my grown-up books).   Lately, Raya has taken to opening up a book and “reading” it herself.   She has a bit of an independent streak (ahem, I can’t imagine where that comes from) and it’s becoming increasingly more important to her to be allowed to do things on her own.  (It’s actually cute – pure gibberish, spoken with serious authority as she turns the pages, and ending in “The End!”)

Anyway – when I had a chance to try out LeapFrog’s Tag Junior, I was really excited about it, because it would be a chance to let her “read” what she wanted to, and to be in charge of exploring what’s on the pages without being hindered by the fact that at age 2 – she can’t *actually* read yet.  It was a hit!

We still have our own reading time together every day, of course.  I took LeapFrog’s Pledge to read at least 20 minutes a day to Raya – and you can too!  You can find it right here on their Facebook Page.  LeapFrog is donating $2 million in books to schools all over the U.S., and for every pledge shared to read 20 minutes a day to your child, they will donate 5 books!

Why 20 minutes?  Well, the more children read, the better readers they become.  In a Report of the National Reading Panel in 2000, one study showed that children who read 20 or more minutes per day scored in or above the 90th percentile!  LeapFrog has more information on their website about the 20 minutes a day pledge, about the studies, and even several tips, videos, activities, and printables, all focused on ways to engage your children at every age and stage and make reading fun!

Scout, the Tag Junior reading tool, has been lots of fun for Raya to read with.  I downloaded the learning to read audio for her books (you just need to connect Scout or Violet to your computer).  I could also personalize his programming – he greets my daughter by name when she turns him on.  That’s pretty impressive to me, considering “Raya” isn’t very common.  Scout can read the words on the page, and he is also programmed to talk about the other things in the pictures.  Raya can point him to anything on the page and get words, music, dialogue, sound effects.  She even wanted to bring it in the car when we headed out over the weekend. :)

LeapFrog is offering special deals on reading products all through March in honor of Reading Month.  You can get $3 off of Tag and Tag Junior books.   LeapFrog has a huge library of learn-to-read content for its best-selling, award-winning learning platforms including Tag and LeapPad2.  Tag and Tag Junior have over 80 interactive books, maps, games and more including the new releases Leap and the Lost Dinosaur and Toddler Milestones, and are the #1 selling reading system for children at each stage between the ages 1-8.

LeapPad and LeapPad2 are ultra e-books that automatically adjust to your child’s reading ability and keeps them learning.   Check out the recent ultra e-book release Mr. Pencil, which teaches reading AND writing!

If you have a kiddo in your life who would enjoy a LeapFrog Prize pack – I’ve got you covered!  You can enter to win a set worth $50 that includes Tag Leap and the Lost Dinosaur, Tag Get Ready for Kindergarten, Tag Junior Toddler Milestones, Tag Junior Animals Around the World!  Enter via the Rafflecopter form below – good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I was selected for this opportunity by Clever Girls Collective but content and opinions expressed here are my own. To take the LeapFrog Reading Month pledge, please visit their Facebook page. #LFReadingMonth #spon