Reading Together

Reading Together is an initiative of The Walt Disney Company aimed at helping parents and caregivers learn more about reading to children in ways that are both fun and engaging. The program launched this summer in conjunction with the nonprofit First Book National Book Bank.

At the heart of the Reading Together program is the belief that reading together can be one of the great joys of family life and can also help a child learn and grow. Setting aside quiet time for reading together gives parents, caregivers and their children a chance to connect. Reading together gives children exposure to stimulating new ideas, encourages their curiosity and imagination, and supports children as they learn to read and to write.  Reading Together volunteers
Disney VoluntEARS work together with the Coast Guard to load boxes of books into the waiting trucks of Los Angeles area First Book partners.

DisneyHand Reading Zone Printables
DisneyHand "Project Back to School" Kits have been sent as our gift to every elementary school in the United States as part of our commitment to learning and teachers. Included in each kit is a "DisneyHand Reading Zone" packet containing all the materials needed to create a special reading area in a school library, classroom or other appropriate space. If you would like to print out and distribute additional copies of the DisneyHand Reading Zone Activity Booklet or the Student or Parent Bookmark, you can do so here. You will need to download Adobe Acrobat Reader if you do not already have it. Have fun reading together!

Idea Book Student Bookmark Parent Bookmark Get Acrobat

Instructions for printing the Student and Parent Bookmarks:
Print out both bookmark pages from the downloadable file and use them as a master to create double sided copies on your copier - first run copies of page one, then flip your copies over and run page two on the back. If you have a copier that can automatically make 2-sided copies you can print out page one and two on the front and back of a single sheet of paper and use that as your master. Once your bookmarks have printed, cut them out and distribute. If you have access to a color printer, print page one of the file then turn that sheet of paper over and print page two of the file onto the back. Then cut out the bookmarks.

If you are able to print on a heavier weight paper or laminate your bookmarks that will make them sturdier.

The file you will print out is aligned so that the sides of the bookmarks will match up, but you may need to adjust the positioning on your copier as all machines run a little differently.

Click here for a list of Reading Together tips that are the focus of Disney's Reading Together initiative.

Click here to learn more about our Reading Together efforts around the world.
 
First Book
As part of the Reading Together launch, kids from Americorps received First Book t-shirts and their own books to take home.
Disney's partner in this effort is First Book, a national nonprofit organization with a single mission: to give children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own their first new books. As part of its commitment to First Book, The Walt Disney Company will be donating one million books this year to the First Book National Book Bank, to be distributed to children in need.