Eagle Valley Library District offers Reading Buddies Program

AVON — The Reading Buddies Program pairs teen volunteers (grades nine through 12) with younger children (grades one through three) for an hour of one-on-one shared reading once a week for eight weeks. Big Buddies receive training at the beginning of the program and throughout the sessions.

In addition to helping a younger child read and succeed, teens have the opportunity to develop leadership, problem-solving and communication skills. Teen mentors practice choosing appropriate books and materials, as well as learning positive reinforcement techniques for helping a little buddy. Reading Buddies is a great experience for students to feature on resumes and college applications.

Little Buddies are emerging readers, struggling readers and those who love to read. The program gives the Little Buddies extra reading practice with a caring, trained mentor in a fun and creative environment. The buddy pairs take turns reading, playing literacy games and taking part in group activities. Buddy pairs create Silly Sentences using the parts of speech, new words with Bananagrams and tales with Story Cubes. In a group, students share elements from stories read and goals for future sessions.

Interested families of children in grades one through three are invited to the Avon Public Library on Wednesday from 4 to 5 p.m. for an open house to learn more about the program and to apply. A Big Buddy mentor training will take place on Tuesday from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. This interactive group session will allow Big Buddies to practice techniques for working with Little Buddies, as outlined in the training handbook.