Want to make reading fun? We can help.

Children (not unlike adults) learn best when they are engaged and having fun. Reading together is one of the most powerful things we can do with children. It builds their attention spans, vocabularies, and probably most importantly, their self-confidence. Reading with children is certainly not bad for your mood and creativity either!

Whether you read aloud with your own children or make time to volunteer at a local school or child care center, North Shore United Way wants to encourage you with a new resource book of activities that help make reading more fun and help boost children’s literacy skills and creativity.

You do not need to be a reading specialist or experienced tutor to use the activity guides or read other books to children. All that is needed is enthusiasm, a willingness to spend time and a little preparation — reading the books, reviewing the questions and exercises, and gathering the materials for the activities.

You can find the new United Way reading guide here. North Shore United Way hopes you enjoy it with your own children, or perhaps find yourself inspired to get involved in one of the causes we support who can engage you in reading with local children.

These include:

• Beverly Children’s Learning Center - become a classroom assistant ( MORE)
• Family Promise - read to children on the weekend as an office angel or weeknights as a dinner host ( MORE)
• Pathways for Children - become a classroom volunteer in Beverly or Gloucester ( MORE)
• North Shore YMCA - become a guest reader in a Children’s Enrichment Center ( MORE)

Find these opportunities among more than a hundred others on the North Shore United Way’s new Volunteer Hub. Visit volunteer.nsuw.org and search for an organization and volunteer opportunity that will be meaningful for you. Contact the North Shore United Way at 978-922-3966 with questions.

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Sarah Bartley is a project manager at the North Shore United Way, which invests almost $1M each year in local programs that transform lives and improve communities now and for future generations. NSUW rigorously vets and supports dozens of causes that serve children, families, and seniors on the North Shore. For more information or to get involved, visit nsuw.org.