Reading is the game of life.
In the coming days, parents of children in Hafnarfjörður can expect to receive the new edition of 'Reading is the Game of Life'. A copy will be distributed to every household and will be brought home by the eldest child of each household who attends one of the town's nursery or primary schools.
Literacy is a prerequisite for active participation in society, and poor literacy can have a negative impact on educational progress and, consequently, on future life opportunities. According to PISA results, reading comprehension has not improved in Iceland, and the same survey also suggests that a large proportion of Icelandic children are unable to read effectively. These facts were the catalyst for the local authorities in Hafnarfjörður to focus on developing a clear and effective literacy strategy that would involve pupils, teachers and parents. The strategy has been implemented systematically over the past few years, which has, among other things, resulted in increased continuity between school levels and laid the groundwork for the importance of literacy as a cornerstone of learning.
On 25th January, a harvest festival was held for the literacy project of Hafnarfjörður's nursery and primary schools to mark the re-release of 'Reading is the Play of a Lifetime'. The new edition is an update of the previous version from 2015. READING IS THE GAME OF LIFE is the policy, standards and procedures for language use, reading instruction and reading proficiency for children in Hafnarfjörður. At the celebration, school leaders and the schools' contacts for the literacy project were presented with the first copies of the revised 'Reading is the Game of Life' and thanked for the immense work that school staff, parents and others have put in to implement the literacy focus.
READING IS LIFE'S GAME now includes after-school clubs, the Hafnarfjörður Library, childminders and the parents of the youngest children. The National Education Agency has also issued official benchmarks for literacy by pupils' age, whereas previously, Hafnarfjörður had its own.
In the coming days, parents of children in Hafnarfjörður can expect to receive the new edition of 'Reading is the Game of Life'. A copy will be distributed to every household and will be brought home by the eldest child of each household who attends one of the town's nursery or primary schools.
Literacy is the key to the knowledge and understanding that it is vital for all children to master. With good reading skills, more learning opportunities open up, and new worlds of possibility are revealed. READING IS LIFE'S GAME is a project from Hafnarfjörður which aims for every child to achieve the best possible command of reading, to encourage rewarding interactions with others, and to foster an interest in seeking knowledge with an inquisitive mind.