Sharing stories is as natural to human beings as eating and sleeping.
As part of this, making time to tell children stories can be fun and satisfying.
According to Gogo, the national reading for enjoyment campaign Nal’ibali’s reading granny, storytelling has these benefits:
- Stories allow children to explore and think about love, hate, jealousy, kindness, power, good and evil;
- Storytelling stimulates children’s imagination, as well as their use of language;
- Stories can transport and connect them to the lives of people they have never known, from long ago and faraway places;
- When parents tell children stories about their childhood experiences, it helps children connect with them.
Start a reading club
According to Nali’bali, there is no single correct way of starting or running a reading club.
Reading clubs are run best by people who love stories and books, and want to help children grow to love reading.
You do not have to be a teacher or librarian.
Most reading clubs are run by volunteers, so you do not get paid money. Your payment is in the fun you have and the satisfaction that you are making a difference.
Your reading club can be the size you want it to be, and can meet anywhere where there is a quiet, safe space X a school, after-care centre, library, community hall, clinic, or even a place of worship.
- For more on Nali’bali, information on how to start a reading club, as well as for tips on where to collect books from, visit nalibali.org.
