Easy ways to tell stories to children
People have told stories for centuries to explore ideas and make sense of their experiences. In fact, sharing stories is as natural to human beings as eating and sleeping! Some of the stories we tell today have been passed down from generation to generation, while others are new ones that we create ourselves. Making time […]
Children’s storytelling activities to enrich and engage minds
Here are some activities to do with children that can be lots of fun and deepen and extend their experiences of the stories you tell them. Some of the ideas are suitable for all ages, while others are better suited to older children. You might like to choose one or two activities to do with […]
How reading stories helps children master science
Did you know that when children read stories it helps them develop ways of thinking that are important for success in science? To be a scientist, you need to be able to ask “what if” questions, make informed guesses and then test these guesses. Children need lots of opportunities to develop this kind of thinking […]
Retelling fairytales: Giving old folk stories a South African spin!
When you hear the word “fairy tale”, what stories do you think of? We all know some fairytales, folktales, or intsomi. Whether they were home-grown here in Africa or come originally from Europe, these are the magical stories with strange, out-of-this-world characters like fairies, tokoloshes, giants, monsters, elves and witches that we love to hear and […]
The importance of home languages in learning to read
We all have at least one language that we understand and communicate best in, although some of us may have more! People use different labels for this language − like “mother tongue” or “home language” − but it is the language we learnt first. It’s the language we think and feel in, the one in […]
Promoting literacy at home
What do you use reading and writing for? Do you use it mostly at work, to study or perhaps to organise and run your home life? You might even be lucky enough to find some time to relax and read too. Literacy is a right that should be enjoyed by all of us, but there […]
Home language and children’s development – what’s best?
With babies, young children, and even older children who have to learn through an additional language like English at school, it’s best to share books in the language or languages you speak at home with them. It takes many years to learn your mother tongue well, and reading and talking about books in your mother […]
How to get story-telling with your children
People have told stories for centuries to explore ideas and make sense of their experiences. In fact, sharing stories is as natural to human beings as eating and sleeping! Some of the stories we tell today have been passed down from generation to generation, while others are new ones that we create ourselves. Making time […]
How stories make children brainy
More and more adults are beginning to wake up to what a difference they can make in children’s lives when they read stories to them. They are offering them brain food! Great stories weave magic. When we read a story in which the character suffers pain or hardship, our hearts beat as fast as when […]
Exploring stories with children to increase reading comprehension.
Settling down with your children and a storybook is an excellent way to get to know one another and to have an enjoyable and satisfying time together. Exploring a story is much more than just reading the words on a page – it’s about taking a journey together as you think and talk about the pictures, events […]
