READ Educational Trust kicks off Youth Month, celebrated in June, by encouraging South Africans to focus more on their children’s fundamental freedom to learn and have access to reading, developing literacy. This non-profit organisation was established in 1979 with the purpose of promoting literacy among people, and for the past four decades it has been doing just that. READ also provides highly effective practical training, hands-on support and valuable resources.
READ dedicates Youth Month to sharing the love and value of books and empowering Early Childhood Development (ECD) caregivers with the tools required to teach little ones how to read with confidence. In a press release by READ Educational Trust, the organisation indicated that children who have never been exposed to the power that reading books have, might view reading as boring, mundane and futile. READ is determined to change this and make children aware of the wonderful impact reading has on their brains, lifestyle and future.
READ also suggests that parents can shape children’s success by teaching them how to read and by doing this, they will be cultivating a deep love for reading. Being able to see the beautiful impact reading has, starts at the grass roots. The need, however, is both dire and vast. It takes time, dedication, a well-designed formula, and creative resources to instil a reading culture.
According to the organisation, learning to decipher the code of how we use symbols to represent spoken language is a big part of why children go to school. They learn the distinctions between “b” and “d,” or “p” and “q.” They read about pirates, pigs, and pixies, as well as earthquakes and igloos, as they advance from letters and syllables to words and sentences. The possibilities are endless once children have “cracked the code”. This is the delight of being initiated into the world of literacy. Dr Seuss, author of children’s books, often says, “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
“A great way to engage with your children and to make reading fun, is to practice reading aloud. Reading aloud holds so many rewards. For one, this activity promotes a stronger vocabulary. This can open up a world of possibility for them, and expands their communication potential,” says Lizelle Langford, READ Educational Trust’s PR & Fundraising Manager.
READ also believes whatever book an adult had read while young, helped shape their creativity and imagination in some form or another. The trust explained that books can open doors into dreams of a world without limitations, and those dreams can inspire action to change the world as it is.
The READ Educational Trust press statement also included benefits of early reading habits for children:
- Supported cognitive development
- Improved language skills
- Preparation for academic success
- Increased concentration and discipline
- Improved imagination and creativity
- Cultivating a lifelong love of reading
READ strongly believes a collective effort can change the face of South Africa. The only way to succeed is for the country to stand together and do all they can to combat illiteracy by actively promoting and funding reading and educational incentives. The better time to act is during Youth Month.
If you give a child a book and gift them with the skills to read it, you are giving them not just the world, but the universe, which is infinite in possibilities.
Corn Koteli
