The Nal’ibali reading-for-enjoyment campaign and Jet Club magazine partnered 18 months ago to create awareness around the importance of sharing stories for children’s literacy development, by publishing monthly illustrated stories for young children in the Jet Club magazine.
“Literacy is vital for Africa’s development and Nal’ibali helps our youngest Jet Club members enjoy the process of learning to read,’ says Jet Club editor, Bongiwe Nocanda. ‘The stories also have a wonderful moral angle that stimulates conversation in the home, and children are further encouraged to explore their creativity with a suggested monthly activity. Jet Club magazine is proud to be associated with this pioneering campaign.”
Problem solving, analysing and evaluating are all thinking tools that are developed through reading, creating a solid foundation for children’s further learning and growth. In addition, being told stories and read to at home are elements most likely to help children become successful learners at school.
“Research has shown that the single most important factor influencing a child’s success at school is the introduction to books and being read to at home,’ says Esther Etkin of Nal’ibali. ‘But the reality remains that only 5% of parents read to their children in South Africa, missing out on this vital opportunity to boost their children’s language, feed their imaginations and help them form abstract thought.”
Nal’ibali also gives children the opportunity to experience these stories in Afrikaans, isiXhosa, isiZulu, Sepedi and Sesotho on the Jet Club website. To view the July/August story go to www.jetclub.co.za/article/Kamuzu-s-voice.aspx.
