How to Record Your "Read With Me" Video: A Step-by-Step Volunteer Guide
- Antonio Brown
- 1 day ago
- 6 min read
Reading doesn't happen in isolation. It grows through modeling and shared experience.
When a child sees an adult pick up a book, whether it's a parent at home, a mentor in a community center, or a barber in their neighborhood shop, something remarkable clicks. Reading transforms from a school assignment into a life skill, a connection point, and a habit worth keeping.
That's exactly why the Competitive Readers Coalition launched the "Read With Me" initiative. We're inviting parents, barbers, mentors, and community members across Pinellas County to record short reading clips and show our young readers that literacy is something we do together.
And here's the beautiful part: you don't need fancy equipment or professional training to make a difference. All you need is a book you love, a phone or tablet, and a willingness to share your voice.
Ready to inspire the next generation? Follow these four simple steps to record your session and become a literacy hero in a child's life.
Step 1: Choose Your Story
The first step is the fun part, picking a book!
Select a Book You Love
Choose a children's book or short story that genuinely excites you. Your enthusiasm will shine through the screen, and kids can tell when an adult is engaged versus just going through the motions. Whether it's a classic like The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats, a newer title featuring characters that look like the children in our community, or a beloved story from your own childhood, pick something that makes you smile.
Need inspiration? Check out our list of culturally responsive books for boys that feature Black, Indigenous, and youth of color as the heroes of their own stories.
Check the Length
Aim for a reading time of 10 to 20 minutes. This is the sweet spot, long enough to tell a complete story, but short enough to keep young attention spans engaged.
If the book is longer, don't worry! Feel free to read just a few chapters and let the kids know there's more to discover. You might even spark their curiosity to find the book themselves and finish the adventure.
Step 2: Prepare Your Space
A little preparation goes a long way in creating a warm, inviting video that kids will want to watch.
Find a Quiet Spot
Try to minimize background noise as much as possible. Turn off fans, move away from windows with traffic noise, and kindly ask pets and family members for a few minutes of peace. The goal is for your voice and the story to be the stars of the show.
That said, life happens! If your dog barks or a car honks outside, keep going. Our young readers appreciate authenticity over perfection.
Get Your Lighting Right
Make sure your face is well-lit so the kids can see your expressions as you read. Natural light from a window works wonderfully, or you can face a lamp. Avoid sitting with a bright window behind you, which can make your face appear dark and shadowy.
Your facial expressions are part of the storytelling magic! When you widen your eyes at a surprising twist or smile at a funny moment, children learn that reading is an emotional, engaging experience.
Position Your Camera
If you're using a phone, landscape (horizontal) mode usually looks best on tablets and computers, which is how most of our kids will watch. Prop your phone against some books or use a small tripod to keep it steady.
Position the camera at eye level so it feels like you're reading directly to the child, creating that personal connection even through a screen.
Step 3: Record Your Session
This is where the magic happens! Take a deep breath, press record, and share your gift.
Start With a Warm Greeting
Begin your video with a friendly introduction. Here's a simple script to get you started:
"Hi everyone! My name is [Your Name], and today I'm reading one of my favorites, [Book Title]. I'm so excited to read with you today!"
Feel free to add your own personality! Maybe mention why you love this particular book, or share a quick fun fact about yourself. The goal is to help kids feel like they're sitting down with a friend.
Read at a Steady Pace
Once you dive into the story, read at a comfortable, steady pace. You don't need to rush, and you don't need to over-dramatize (unless you want to, some volunteers really bring the characters to life with different voices, and kids love it!).
Pro tip for picture books: Remember to hold the book up to the camera for a few seconds so the kids can see the illustrations. Those pictures are part of the story, and young readers love connecting the words they hear with the images they see.
End With Encouragement
Close your video with a quick word of inspiration:
"Thanks for listening! Keep up the great work with your reading. See you next time!"
You might also encourage them to find the book at their local library, ask their grown-ups about the story, or share what their favorite part was. These small prompts help extend the reading experience beyond your video.
Step 4: Upload and Share
You did it! Now let's get your video into the hands (and hearts) of young readers.
Save Your File
Name your video using this simple format: [YourName]_[BookTitle]
For example: MarcusJohnson_TheSnowDay or AishaThompson_CrownAnOdeToTheFreshCut
This helps our team organize videos and match them with the right age groups and reading levels.
Send It Over
Upload your video to our shared drive or email it directly to our team. We'll provide you with the specific link and email address when you sign up as a volunteer.
Once we receive your video, our team will review it, add it to our library, and share it with young readers across Pinellas County. You might just become a child's favorite "reading buddy"!
Pro-Tips for Volunteers
Here are a few extra nuggets of wisdom from our experienced Read With Me volunteers:
Don't worry about being perfect. If you stumble on a word, lose your place, or a cat walks across the screen: keep going! Our kids love seeing that even "expert" readers are human. It teaches them that making mistakes is a normal part of reading, and the important thing is to keep trying.
Show your personality. Are you naturally animated? Let it shine! More soft-spoken? That's wonderful too. Kids connect with authenticity, not performance.
Consider your background. A bookshelf, some plants, or even a simple blank wall works great. If you're recording from your barbershop, that's even better: our community barbershop reading initiative shows kids that literacy happens everywhere, not just in classrooms.
Have water nearby. Reading out loud for 10-20 minutes can be thirsty work!
Do a quick test recording first. Record 30 seconds, play it back, and check your audio levels and lighting before diving into the full story.
Why Your Voice Matters
Here's the transformative truth: when children see adults reading, they begin to see reading as a natural, lifelong habit.
Research consistently shows that children who are read to: and who witness adults reading for pleasure: develop stronger literacy skills, larger vocabularies, and a more positive attitude toward learning. But for many children in underserved communities, those modeling opportunities are limited.
That's where you come in.
Your Read With Me video becomes a bridge. It shows a young boy in Pinellas County that people who look like him, who sound like him, who live in his community, value reading. It demonstrates that books are not just for school: they're for barbershops, living rooms, and everywhere in between.
At the Competitive Readers Coalition, we believe that building stronger communities through literacy engagement starts with one simple act: reading together.
Ready to Join the Movement?
Your voice has the power to inspire a young reader to pick up a book, to see themselves in a story, and to believe that they too can become a confident, capable reader.
Recording a Read With Me video takes less than an hour of your time, but the impact ripples outward: into classrooms, homes, and futures across Pinellas County.
Visit crcbooks.org to sign up as a volunteer and receive your upload instructions.
Together, we're not just reading stories. We're writing new ones: stories of empowerment, connection, and young readers who know that their community believes in them.
📖 Record a short reading clip and join us.
Comments