Storytime Pledge

It’s been a year unlike any other, with massive disruptions to the way we work, play and learn. And that means the educational foundations are more important than ever.

These school holidays, it's time to take the Storytime Pledge.

A book. A child. A reader. A promise.

Join Australia's science community in standing up (or sitting down) to prioritise sharing a book with a child in your life, and help our next generation reach their fullest potential.

Need more information? Check out our FAQs below for help and extra resources, or reach out to communications@chiefscientist.gov.au.

What is the Storytime Pledge?

The Storytime Pledge is a campaign being run by Australia's Chief Scientist calling on all Australians to do one simple thing: read a book to a child.

Championed by senior scientists across Australia, the original Storytime Pledge ran for two weeks in December 2017 for the Australian summer holidays. With so many families experiencing changes to their normal routines and educational activities this year, it's time to bring it back.

Every family that makes the pledge will receive an online certificate, and can choose to be included in our Twitter and website promotions.

So come join us! Check out the pledge archives at the bottom of this page for great book recommendations, join the conversation on Twitter, and make your own pledge. We can't wait to have you on board.

The science of reading

We believe there’s a lot of good books behind every great scientist.

But we're also convinced that books are the best learning technologies we’ve ever invented, full stop.

The science agrees: reading to a 4-5 year old child six or seven times a week has the same effect on their reading skills as being almost a full year older, with consequent improvements in their NAPLAN scores four years later.

Reading to them three to five days a week had the same effect on their reading skills as being six months older.

This happened regardless of the family background and home environment.

And want your child to grow up as a frequent reader? Reading to them regularly as pre-schoolers makes it much more likely that they'll reach for the books on their own later in life.

What's involved?

Here's what you'll need:

A book
A child
Five minutes of your time (or more, if you're both enjoying it!)

Sit down and read a book, anywhere, anytime. It could be at bedtime, or after lunch. Raining outside, or too hot to go play? Five minutes is all you need to help spark a child's imagination.

And join the community! Jump on twitter with #storytimepledge to see who's made a pledge, and make your own.

But I'm stuck in the house!

We know a lot of us can't be with our loved ones in person right now - and challenge you to still take the pledge.

Videoconference, phone calls, and even social media are all great ways to share a book with a child in your life. We'd also love to hear your more creative solutions to share with other participants.

Don't have a book handy? There are plenty of online books available, from picture books for toddlers through to more detailed books for older children.

We recommend your local library's website as a first port of call. Alternatively, the Oxford Owl has a free online e-book library for children of all ages.

Storytime Pledge library