Leaving a legacy: Cullen Mackenzie writes for his children and generations to come
Cullen Mackenzie wrote Impi yeHlathi because he wanted other children to experience the stories he had told his own children and isiZulu students. Mabhengwane of
At Zazi Books, we like to focus on reading for pleasure as empowering, and our interest in fiction for the tween age group (8-12 years old) means we often talk about how language competence is foundational to all learning and how reading for pleasure boosts academic performance – and how it makes kids happy!
But did you know that low literacy levels cost South Africa an estimated R119-billion per year?
In a 2010 paper The costs of illiteracy in South Africa, researchers estimate that South Africa’s GDP per capita would be 23% to 30% higher if all South Africans were sufficiently literate.
Consider these facts together with our children’s poor performance in the PIRLS Study and you’re probably as alarmed as we are.
Reading for meaning enables children to understand symbols and metaphor, which is the basis for both scientific innovation and healthy human interaction.
Luckily, we already know which literacy interventions work. As parents, teachers, and community members, we can make use of existing research to accelerate the change we need for children’s literacy.
Five ways to help kids read
Read to your babies and children! Reading aloud to kids in those foundational years contributes to language growth, early literacy, and reading achievement in school. It also helps your babies and children bond with you.
Like anyone else, kids will be more motivated to read if they can choose books they enjoy. They are also more likely to read stories that are relevant to their lives and in their home language.
The logic is supported by research: when kids enjoy the content, they read more. Reading for pleasure is often the missing ingredient. Also, if the adults in their lives read for pleasure, kids are more likely to.
Access to books plus a community of adults who read is what encourages kids to read, too. Researcher Ann Masten describes this “ordinary magic” as the proficiency and resilience developed through positive reading relationships with nurturing and competent adults. Speak to your kids about your books and theirs! Constructive and supportive feedback and engagement increases kids’ positive self-perception and their sense of belonging and meaning in life.
“The social cure” uses our innate need for connection to drive social change. Wherever possible in your local community or network, promote literacy to make reading cool, easy and fun.
So, how do we help our kids read? Read to them from birth and discuss words in everyday settings to help them understand what words mean. Start reading clubs and organise reading events in communities. Show children that we read and enjoy reading. Make relevant books easily accessible to them.
Zazi Books aims to do just that with engaging, magical stories for children aged 8-12 years. Our relevant, fun, affordable indigenous-language books are designed to get and keep kids reading.
By modelling healthy literacy and making relevant and enjoyable stories available to our kids, we can help them develop a lifelong love of reading that changes their future and the future of our country for the better.
(Information taken from Let’s Get South Africa Reading by DGMT)
Image from Freepik
Cullen Mackenzie wrote Impi yeHlathi because he wanted other children to experience the stories he had told his own children and isiZulu students. Mabhengwane of
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