Goodwood Library will do its part this World Read Aloud Day (WRAD) today, Wednesday 7 February, as they join the reading campaign with Nal’ibali, to reach three million children across the country with the magic of stories being read.
WRAD was founded by LIT World in 2010 as a celebration of reading aloud, community literacy, and the importance of sharing stories.
Nal’ibali are the local drivers of the project in South Africa and each year they set a national target.
This year the goal is for all participants, including parents and caregivers, to read to at least three million children across the country.
“One of our aims is to develop a culture of reading among our children and it starts with hearing stories being read out loud.
“Listening to a story does more than take you on an adventure you have to imagine,” says Councillor Patricia van der Ross, Mayco member for community services and health.
According to Van der Ross, reading aloud develops listening skills, models the use of language, and improves vocabulary and comprehension. “It also motivates young children to read for themselves,” she said.
Minda Maritz, Principal Librarian at Goodwood Library, said the library will also be participating in the WRAD campaign. “We have several early childhood development centres (ECDs) coming to the library on Wednesday morning for the event,” says Maritz.
The programme will start at 10:00 on Wednesday.
