Early Reader, Early Leader

Hardap region community libraries started with the Early Reader, Early Learner and Early Leader programme.

This programme is packed with reading, storytelling and picture identification material from the mini library set. The libraries deem it fit to read to the little ones as most of them do not have people who are reading to them at home.

Reading out loud is important to the Hardap libraries as it helps the child to be exposed to reading and also hear new words. Reading out loud gives children an advantage when they start formal schooling.

If we read to the children they also get that desire to want to read. Reading out loud to the child also develops a child’s attention span from a young age. Reading to a child while young also lays a structured foundation for schooling and education.

Advantages of early reading is multiple it can be neurological, educational, social and linguistic. Reading helps the young child brain to develop. Reading in the first six years is crucial as those are the years when the child learns at a faster pace than in any other time in their lives. Reading to a child at this age also develops lifelong love for reading and learning.

Early readers can recognise a larger number of words by sight which enable them to learn more from and about their environment.

A child who learns to read joyfully at home has greater self-confidence and independence.

Early readers have the opportunity to relate to their peers on a more confident, more competent level as they are already being recognised for their superior accomplishment. Reading increases the child’s social status among peers as well as his or her self-image and self-confidence.

The sooner pupils learn how to read, the more books, knowledge and ideas they will be exposed to. This can lead to improved linguistic skills in the form of a richer vocabulary, correct grammar, improved writing, better spelling and more articulate oral communication.

Kalkrand library started with story reading at one of the kindergartens.

The February reading included ‘The Little Pig Goes to the Market’ and ‘Jack and Jill’. Afterwards the children were eager to answer questions posted to them by the assistant librarian.

Mariental library used the leap reader tool to assist pupils with the correct pronouncing of the words while stimulating listening and concentration at an early age. The stories and games in the leap reader is interesting to the pupil. Through the use of leap reader, they can hear the words in the sentences.

“We believe that investing in reading is important for the educational development of a child and can lead to lifelong readers and lifelong learners,” a statement read.

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