STORY BOOK COLLECTION STARS TOMORROW
IT’S the best career – and life – hack you can ever gift your child and it all starts with a “reading rocket” from you.
The Chronicle has partnered with Goodstart Early Learning Centres and the Australian Library and Information Service (ALIA) for the annual Raise a Reader campaign – highlighting the need to read with children from birth.
According to Goodstart general manager pedagogy and practice Sue Robb, you can’t read enough to your children, especially newborns.
“We know that sharing books and reading to children help their early communication and acquisition of language, their vocabulary, and also the rhyme and rhythm in books helps their brain and cognitive development,” Ms Robb said. “It helps their neurons to connect.
“The more we can engage babies and children in books and literature, the better. It’s such a magic experience.”
ALIA chief executive Sue McKerracher said signing your newborn up for a library card is a free and easy way to provide essential exposure to literature.
“Reading as a life skill has never been more important,” Ms McKerracher said. “Library story times are free events that take place regularly, are great fun for the kids and give parents the chance to get together with others.
“By taking it up a notch and becoming library members, families can borrow books, take them home and share the fun of reading with their little ones every day.
“One of our mantras is ‘10 minutes a day’ – just 10 minutes with a book every day can make all the difference to a child’s future.”
Collect your free copy of Thelma the Unicorn and collector case with tomorrow’s The Chronicle and start your Great Australian Storybook Collection. The remaining 14-books of this collection are $2.70 with the corresponding day’s token. Kidsbookcollection.com.au