Do our children really need to spend so much of their time on screens?
That’s a huge and pressing question, as we grapple with the reality that we live in a technology-driven and fast-paced society.
There is a growing concern, not just about the amount of time our children are spending on devices, but also about the negative impacts these devices may be hanving.
Increasingly, parents, grandparents and childminders are reaching out for enjoyable activities, that don’t involve screens at all.
And here’s just one: storybooks.
On Tuesday September 9th, parents, grandparents, childminders, public health nurses, midwives and anyone else interested in reading with children for fun, are invited to a public meeting in the picturesque surrounds of Dunmanway Public Library for ‘The Read Together: Open Their World’ event.
This special meeting is a coming-together of a group of professionals, all of whom work with children in different ways.
Their aim, is to encourage adults to read with children more often because first, it’s great fun and second, because regularly reading with children from a very young age brings significant benefits to kids.
There will be made up of a number of short talks about the hows and whys of reading for pleasure, where teachers, a parent, a children’s librarian, and an expert in children’s literature will each provide very different insights about the benefits of reading with children, as well as useful tips and advice.
Reading with children, even from the age of one, has long-term benefits in terms of higher achievement in reading and maths.
Reading also has excellent knock-on effects fora child’s grasp of literacy, including reading, comprehension and writing.
It helps him or her navigate day-to-day life better, improving their thinking skills and ability to articulate themselves.
Children who read have a richer vocabulary, and tend to be able to express themselves better and have a stronger grasp of language.
Reading is also beneficial for their imagination, and improves their ability to think things through logically and rationally, as well as their ability to focus and concentrate.
Research has shown children are happier and more self-confident learners when they read informally at home, and reading for fun makes the mind work.
Reading about the liver of others also widens a child’s worldview and helps them empathise with the plight of others. In spite of these enormous benefits, this is being forgotten in the tsunami in today’s world.
‘Read Together: Open their World’ takes place at 6.30pm at Dunmanway Public Library. Please contact [email protected] to reserve a place.
