Raising kids with a passion for reading

BE A BUZZING bee ahead of time as the City of Cape Town launches the 1 000 stories before school campaign to promote the importance of developing healthy reading habits at an early age.

With the goal of getting more people to read for fun, the campaign wants to show people how to mix the culture of reading with the interesting activities libraries around Cape Town have to offer.

Patricia van der Ross, Mayco member for community services and health, said she hoped the campaign would convince parents of the importance of bonding through stories and how listening to stories from a young age had an immense impact on a child’s development.

“Early literacy and interacting with books and stories provide the stepping stones for laying a firm foundation when the child starts Grade 1. Our role as libraries are to develop a passion for books and stories so that by the time they reach school, they are already hooked.

“Too often reading becomes a chore in school, especially if the child did not grow up surrounded by books and going to the library.

“We hope that this campaign will change this so that by the time the child enters Grade 1, he or she is already a bookworm,” said Van Der Ross.

There are four booklets for parents containing information on how to support their children though each developmental phase. Each booklet has a reading log and an evaluation survey that parents must complete and hand in at their nearest library.

The programme will look at parents who have gone through all four booklets and who have read 1 000 or more stories to their child. Children who have also joined the programme and completed their reading log will be offered a new LiBee Club card.

Mikhulu Trust spokesperson Karen Ross said the campaign would boost children’s confidence and their academic performance later in their school career.

“Sharing books and stories in families creates time for developing close relationships, opens space for dialogue and also stimulates curiosity in the child.

“Dialogic book-sharing is a special kind of interaction between an adult and a young child using a picture book.

“It is not simply ‘reading’ to a child who listens passively – instead, it is an active exchange, led by the child, and supported by an adult who is attentive to their interests and communication,” said Ross.

| SUPPLIED COUNCILLOR Patricia van der Ross cuts the ribbon at the official launch of the 1 000 stories before school campaign.