Blue Bag Ceremonies: Maintaining home reading routines
As we approach the end of the school year, our staff and implementation partners are preparing children and families heading into kindergarten to say good-bye to Raising A Reader MA. One of the most common questions parents ask us is, Can we keep getting the red bag in kindergarten? Raising A Reader MA is currently geared towards just children newborn to age 5, so unfortunately the answer is “No.” But, each spring and summer we do our best to prepare our families to be successful at maintaining their reading routines, even when the red bags are not coming home anymore.
Our parent trainings are intended to equip parents with the skills they need to share books effectively with their children, and to overcome the challenges to these habits. Sometimes, though, a more physical tool is needed beyond these strategies, and that’s where our blue bags come into play. All children who are moving on to kindergarten receive a blue library bag, both to celebrate their accomplishments during their Raising A Reader participation, and also to encourage them to take that bag to the library and fill it with new books to borrow! The children and families are always thrilled to have their very own bag to keep, rather than rotate with the rest of the class. Raising A Reader MA staff and volunteers fill these bags with library information and donated books, other tools to help new and strengthened reading routines live beyond the red bags.
Some of our partners incorporate these blue bags into special ceremonies that show just how much they have incorporated their partnership with Raising A Reader MA into their organization’s culture. These events are often structured as graduation ceremonies, signifying children’s transition to school. With the blue bag as a type of diploma, children and families see that books and reading are truly their key to a successful school experience. And, perhaps the only thing better than seeing a 5 year old’s smile at receiving a library bag and new book, is hearing from the community librarians about the flow of blue bags coming through the door. This is the ultimate sign that families’ reading routines are here for good!