Pamphlets on the importance of reading
Booklets on the importance of reading to children have now been published. The booklets, which are linked to the reading strategy of Hafnarfjörður, are available in Icelandic, English and Polish.
Booklets about the importance of reading to children have now been published. The leaflets, which are linked to the literacy strategy of Hafnarfjörður, will be available in many places, for example in nurseries, health centres, with childminders, at after-school clubs and at Hafnarfjörður Library. The leaflet is available in Icelandic, English and Polish.
Reading is the game of life.
Hafnarfjörður's literacy strategy is a community project in which nurseries and primary schools, together with parents and various municipal institutions, work in partnership to promote children's language development and literacy. The aim of promoting literacy is for pupils to be able to read for both knowledge and pleasure by the end of their primary education. Benchmarks for desired achievement are set. Emphasis is placed on providing all pupils with an appropriate education. Staff in nurseries and primary schools select effective teaching methods that help to achieve the literacy objectives.
The importance of the early years
The foundation for a child's reading ability is laid in the first years of life, during the acquisition of language. Parents are their children's first teachers and contribute to them successfully acquiring their mother tongue. Research shows that reading to children from an early age boosts their language development and vocabulary, thereby increasing their academic success later in life. It is therefore important for parents to read to their children daily from an early age. It is also important to continue reading to children, even after they have started to read for themselves.
Laying the foundations at home
A cosy reading time with parents sparks an interest in reading. Here are a few things to bear in mind:
- Talk to the child about the book, the characters and the illustrations.
- Arouse anticipation and curiosity by asking questions based on the content and images.
- Draw attention to the text, e.g. by running a finger under it as you read.
- Encourage the child to take part in the reading, for example when the same word or text is repeated.
- Keep books visible at home
- Teach the child rhymes and nursery rhymes.
- Encourage the child to “pretend-read” in their own words and “pretend-write” in their own handwriting.
- Read for pleasure and tell the children about the books you are reading.
Reading to children:
- Enhances language development
- Increases vocabulary
- Contributes to good reading comprehension.
- Stimulate the imagination
- Arouses curiosity
- Increases reading interest
- improves concentration
- Enhances well-being
- Increases self-confidence
- is educational
See you at the library!
All children under the age of 18 receive a free library card at Hafnarfjörður Library. A trip to the library is great fun for the whole family, and there is a wide range of material for children, such as magazines, picture books, easy readers, poetry books, fairy tales, non-fiction books and audiobooks.