Why reading with children needs to start from birth
Often, when people talk about the importance of reading to children, they mean reading to children who are three years or older – some people even mean children over the age of five! But more and more research is showing that it is better to start reading to children from birth. Doctors all over the […]
Why should I read to my child every day?
For the past two years, Nal’ibali has been encouraging you to read to your children regularly – just 15 minutes a day, every day! But why is this very small action so very important? Here are some of the reasons: Things that are part of the rhythm of the everyday life of a child, soon […]
Supporting learning at home
Supporting learning at home actually works
Getting kids excited about books and reading
Have you heard the saying “practice makes perfect”? Well, this certainly is true for reading! Children who are read to and who read for pleasure themselves, get better at reading and want to read. Unfortunately the opposite is also true: children who are not read to or who read very little themselves, usually avoid reading where they […]
Holiday reading & writing activities
Here are 30 fun ideas that incorporate reading and writing to keep your children busy and entertained during the school holidays. The idea is to enjoy yourselves so use the language/s you and your children feel most comfortable with. 1. Keep a holiday journal. Use an exercise book or staple sheets of paper together to create a […]
Encouraging your child to read and write
What we believe our children can do and achieve, influences what they see as possible for themselves. When you believe that your children will succeed at reading and writing, and you let them know this, you help them to see that this goal is within their reach. And, as you take the time to read […]
How children learn to read and write
When adults write, we do so for a real reason: to write a shopping list, to leave a note for someone, to fill in forms, to communicate with a friend in a letter or email, to create a story. Children learn to write most easily when they write forreal reasons too rather than because an adult […]
How to read aloud to a child
Reading aloud to children stimulates their imagination and curiosity and develops their language and knowledge as they experience the pleasure of stories. But reading aloud – whether it is to your own children or a group of children in your class or at a reading club – is not something that comes naturally to everyone. […]
How to get reading with your child
“Read this to me, please!” are the words we all love to hear from our children because they mean that they are interested in stories and books, and are on their way to becoming independent readers. But do you often wonder whether there are ways that you could improve your reading-to times with your children? […]
When should I start teaching my child to read
Do you ever wonder how old children should be when you start reading to them? Maybe you think you should wait until they are being taught how to read in Grade 1 before you start. But would you wait until a baby understands what you are saying before you talk to him or her? No, […]