Reading Rascals get jump-start on literacy
The habit of snuggling up and reading a book together is one that instructor Kirn Gill wants to help families develop. She strives to make reading fun and to give families tips and tricks for making reading an enjoyable home activity.
That’s the goal of Reading Rascals, a free after-school program for kindergarten students and their families in which Gill is an instructor. The Raise-a-Reader-funded program at Harry Sayers elementary school in Abbotsford brings together 12 kindergarten students, their parents or grandparents and their siblings for an hour of reading together.
“The program has been going on for 20 years and we believe that it gives the parents and the children a chance to learn these habits together, because if the parents are not able to continue it, then the children are not able to either,” Gill said.
“It gives them the pre-literacy skills and a little bit of phonics and it gives them practice sounding out the words to make the pronunciation.”
Gill and her fellow instructor Harman Brar start the hour with parents and children reading together. They work on letters, sounds, repetition and other early literacy skills. After parents read with their own children, the instructors mingle with the group, asking questions, helping out if children or parents are frustrated, and making sure the reading time is happy and relaxed.
Then they read the books all together in a circle, to repeat and cement what has been learned. Later, there is a craft and a snack, which also gives parents a chance to ask questions of the instructors. Gill said a lot of the parents and grandparents have English as their second language, which means the reading helps the adults as well as the children with literacy skills.
The sessions are active and usually include music, stretching and dancing. They read books like Five Little Monkeys or Brown Bear and the craft is always connected to the theme. “I think the kids enjoy it because we make it fun. They’re doing crafts, they’re getting to read a story,” Gill said. “It’s a chance for the parent and child to sit down for 10 minutes or 20 minutes and do an activity instead of doing it at home.”
All of the participants in Reading Rascals, which is held in school libraries, get to take home a new book each week of the seven-week program. The instructors also give parents resources to help them take the love of reading and fun literacy strategies home and practice it with their children, something they hope becomes a lifelong habit.
“I talk to the parents when they have questions or if they’re concerned their child isn’t getting something,” Gill said.
“Maybe I can make suggestions or I can spend some time with their child,” Gill said. “I will suggest some strategies or things they can do at home. Maybe they will make a grocery list and their kids can make a list with them.”
The instructors try to provide emotional guidance as well as help with reading, Gill said. “If a child is frustrated, it’s OK to back off and then restart later. If they can’t figure out the whole sound, move on and come back later. That’s to provide social emotional learning and to provide guidance.”
The program has been going on for 20 years and we believe that it gives the parents and the children a chance to learn these habits together.