Tag Archives: reading

When you think about it, reading is a rather complex task. Children must make sense of letters, sounds, words, sentence types, punctuation, and many other structures. The learning doesn’t stop there though. Reading is not simply reciting words on a page. It is a meaning-making process that children bring their …

A love of reading is sparked when children see themselves in stories and relate it to their lives, even more so when it is shared in their home language. Xolisa Guzula – early literary specialist, author and translator – agrees that when children learn to read in their mother tongues it’s …

As soon as your child opens a book, something magical happens. From wondrous journeys through lands unknown and epic adventures, to lessons on kindness, courage and compassion. Inside every book’s cover is a whole new world just waiting to be discovered! Beyond the tales of bravery, enchantment, hopes and dreams, …

If you’re keen to put some meaning back into giving gifts this festive season, consider purchasing from the READ Online Shop! The READ Online Shop is an initiative by READ Educational Trust, a South African NGO promoting literacy in schools for over 40 years. A literate society will surely change …

For over 50 years, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) has celebrated International Literacy Day, and with good reason. Literacy plays a pivotal role in life. The late Kofi Annan coined it when he said, “Literacy is, finally, the road to human progress and the means through which …

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 their family members. The book takes …

This year has proven stormy on so many levels, and the economic chaos resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic has left non-profit organisations like the Rally to Read, reeling. As a non-profit organisation of 23 years standing, Rally to Read has worked tirelessly to promote literacy at grassroots level, in remote …

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 …

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 …

Empathy is the ability to experience and have an understanding of the feelings of others and responding in useful ways. For some children it is easier to develop empathy more inherently than others, but this is a crucial life skill that needs to be taught to all children. Children with …

National Book Week’s Books Beyond Words online storytelling event brings Khoisan history, heritage and folklore to its Facebook Live event this weekend. A radio show host, Dina Christiaan, will present a  story, in Nama, of which only some 2000 speakers remain in South Africa. Nama is the cultural name for …

National Book Week’s Books Beyond Words online storytelling event hopes to give South Africans a good reason to stay home and stay safe as the country moves from Level 5 restrictions to Level 4 from tomorrow under the risk adjusted strategy adopted by the government. Under the Level 4 guidelines, …

For some people, reading might be just a hobby, but it has a bigger value to offer than that. You must be aware of the fact that knowledge fuels the readers’ vision and imagination by keeping their minds active and more creative. But it depends on the genre of books …

It may sound cliché, but children hold the future of the world in their tiny hands. The way they’re shaped today will determine what humanity’s state will be like in the next century. Reading is one way to open up their imagination and instill hope that they can be anyone …

Reading and the telling of stories to your children is not only great fun for your children and an amazing opportunity to bond with your children, it also comes with great benefits for your children and offers a wonderful way for your children to learn. Remember that children learn best …

A baby book is a great wау tо spend tіmе wіth уоur baby. Thеу allow уоu tо hаvе intimate оnе оn оnе tіmе аѕ wеll аѕ contributing tо thе language development оf уоur baby. Thе reading оf a bed tіmе story саn bе аn excellent раrt оf a bedtime routine …

It is never too early to start reading. Reading books aloud to children from a young age exposes them to a wide range of words, it helps them to build vocabulary and stimulates their imagination plus improving their understanding of the world. It is a great way of teaching them …

My daughter and I have just reached an amazing milestone for a bookworm family. She is 6 years old and she is reading very well. I am buying her books and she is devouring them like any good bookworm should. I love reading and I have fond memories of going …

Mothers day is just around the corner and I’ve been searching for some lovely Mother Day gift ideas for my mom. We are a bookworm family so my mother loves reading and I’ve come across some stunning gift ideas for moms that love reading and thought I would share them …

Have you ever seen those infomercials from My Baby Can Read? Where there’s 3 year olds reading novels and little babis reading words off of flashcards? Don’t be fooled. I’m one of the parents that dished out the $200 plus dollars to buy it. I’ve also bought about a thousand …