Children tend to be full; of energy and often struggle with direction. While it’s true that some kids discover their passion young in life, many don’t. This leads to parents needing and wanting to find the activities that will be beneficial and create potential opportunities for them in the future. …
Read More »Back To School Fun With Play-Doh
The past year has challenged parents in many ways including finding endless at-home activities to keep kids entertained while ensuring they continue to learn and develop outside of a traditional classroom environment. Fostering creativity, being able to think out of the box, brainstorming, generating new ideas and improving on existing …
Read More »Hoverboarding For Beginners – Staying Safe On Your Hoverboard
It doesn’t take long for a toy to become super popular and get adults interested. It happened with skateboards in the 60s and 70s. Everyone watched Tony Hawk on TV breaking records and doing amazing things, even though he was just a teenager. After that, more and more adults started …
Read More »Learning How to Ski For Kids
Learning to ski is fun, and can even be quite affordable with a bit of practice. This is one of those sports that all families enjoy. Parents love to have children around while they learn to ride snowboards or snow-ski, which can even make for an educational and bonding experience. …
Read More »Lawyer turned author Karen Theunissen up next on Books Beyond Words
Cape Town, South Africa, 27 August 2020: Lawyer turned author Karen Theunissen will grace the screen on Books Beyond Words this weekend reading from her first book, ‘I Have Brown Skin and Curly Hair’. The rhyming picture book is about the identity crises many children face when they look different from …
Read More »Books Beyond Words: Help us catch the smell thief this weekend!
It has been over four months since we entered a lockdown during which, schools reopened and closed again due to the outbreak of coronavirus. It is during this time as well, that children have had to adjust to a new normal of online learning, social distancing and movement limited by …
Read More »Seeing is believing: a wonderful collection of YouTube video stories for young learners!
Reading Matters, a leading distributor and supplier of educational books and resources in South Africa, is pleased to announce the addition of a wonderful collection of YouTube video stories for young learners, on their website! Established in 1997, Reading Matters has worked tirelessly at promoting language and literacy in South …
Read More »Life In Lockdown: People turned to stories to make sense of what’s happening
It’s been over 100 days since the coronavirus outbreak forced South Africans into a lockdown. A truly global event, it sent a third of the world’s population indoors, many working from home and nowhere to go. It is the arts and the stories that they turned to for comfort, entertainment …
Read More »Books Beyond Words Clocks 300 Minutes Of Magic, Mischief And Memories
Books Beyond Words, the weekly event hosted by South Africa’s annual reading awareness week, National Book Week (NBW), dedicated to encouraging leisure reading and promoting the importance of books, clocks 300 minutes of story magic, mischief and memories this weekend. NBW has been inviting storytellers every weekend since the lockdown …
Read More »The storytelling renaissance will be welcome remnant of the pandemic
The ancient art of storytelling, muted in the preceding years of the pandemic is seeing a revival in living rooms as families take shelter to escape the scourge of the coronavirus. Notwithstanding the provincial borders which remain sealed to contain the virus, every weekend at 11:00am they are dissolved as …
Read More »Actors Craig Urbani And Thembile Tshuma To Headline Books Beyond Words This Weekend
Creative “all-rounders” Craig Urbani and Thembile Tshuma are bringing their voices and virtuosity to online storytelling this weekend. Retelling stories about hope, South Africa’s celebrated artists have been doing their bit on National Book Week’s Books Beyond Words platform to uplift the moods of both children and parents amidst the global …
Read More »Puppets Return To Books Beyond Words To Warm Your Hearts With More Isotainment
With an intense cold front expected to hit many parts of the country this weekend and lockdown rules still preventing children from visiting grandparents for hearty hugs, National Book Week’s Books Beyond Words is excited to once again present Margaret Auerbach of Spellbound Puppets who returns this weekend with another …
Read More »Madoda Ndlakuse brings slice of life stories to Book Beyond Words
The coronavirus has irrevocably changed how we live our lives. From baby showers to get togethers, the global pandemic has reduced our social life to streaming events revealing the unique nature of this crisis which has forced people indoors and feeling lonely. To beat the stress of keeping children entertained …
Read More »Welcome Level 3 with Shmeezle on Books Beyond Words
Who doesn’t love puppets? It definitely seems that the cherubic Books Beyond Words community clearly did not have enough. Back by popular demand, Shmeezle, will once again grace Books Beyond Words online storytelling event this weekend to help parents and children welcome the easing of some restrictions. Last week, the adorable …
Read More »National Book Week brings puppet show to Books Beyond Words
All the world’s a stage, said the famous bard William Shakespeare. But what do you do when the lockdown shrinks it to the size of your living room? After introducing South Africans to Khoisan history, heritage and folklore with a Nama story last weekend, National Book Week’s Books Beyond Words …
Read More »Teaching Your Child to Cycle The Easy Way
If you want to explore the health benefits for children that only cycling can bring, you’ve certainly come to the right place. To make things nice and easy for you to get started, we’re going to talk you through a fast, effective and simple way to get your child cycling. …
Read More »Keeping your Child Active During the Summer Holiday on a Budget
Summer holidays have arrived. For many, that means that it’s time to choose some summer activities or summer clubs for their children. While extra summer activities can be excellent opportunities for children to improve themselves, learn new skills, and find their passions, these extra activities can also be expensive. It’s …
Read More »Why Building Forts Is So Important For Kids
Every kid needs to build forts while growing up. I have many fond memories of building forts with my siblings while growing up. We built forts from old boxes, using blankets, furniture and washing line pegs and when we were a bit older we built forts in our garden from …
Read More »Why Should Golf Be Your Kids’ Choice?
As parents we tend to look forward to introducing our children to sports activities. Apart from being healthy and fun, sports can also offer kids a wide range of benefits. While many tend to consider the most common sports, such as football, tennis, gymnastics and basketball, there are also less …
Read More »5 Ways Dolls Will Affect Your Kids
Girls in the whole world love to play with dolls. In fact, dolls are one of the oldest playing items in the world. Dolls and similar toys are important for a child’s imagination and creativity. Dolls are no longer a thing for girls. For example, Barbie dolls have Ken editions …
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