The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) announced Families READ, a new toolkit designed by educators to help families support their children’s reading skills at home. This collection provides families and caregivers with age-specific information and simple activities in five core reading skills—phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and reading comprehension – and represents Minnesota’s continued commitment to expand literacy support.

“Summer is a perfect time for families to connect and learn together,” said MDE Commissioner Willie Jett. “Our new Families READ Toolkit includes easy, research-backed literacy activities families can use to engage minds, build family bonds, and set young learners up for a lifelong love of reading.”

The Families READ Toolkit resources and activities can be integrated into families’ everyday lives and are available now on the Students and Families Literacy page of MDE’s website. Copies of free literacy games will also be available for visitors at the MDE booth in the Education Building at the Minnesota State Fair.

Passed and signed into law by Governor Tim Walz in May 2023, the Minnesota Reading to Ensure Academic Development (READ) Act put our state on track to have every child reading at or above grade level every year, beginning in kindergarten. Additional resources for educators are available on the READ Act section of MDE’s website.

The Families READ Toolkit is made possible using federal investments, 84.371C-Comprehensive Literacy State Development (CLSD) program by the MDE CLSD Project under Award #S371C190002 – 22D.