Reading: A reason to celebrate!

Since 2016, the global nonprofit organization, LitWorld, has maintained a strategic alliance with Fabretto with the purpose of helping disadvantaged communities of Nicaragua become literate through the distribution of books and the establishment of reading clubs (LitClub).

The inclusion of LitClub in Fabretto’s Educational Enrichment Program has empowered children, ages 10 to 14, utilizing a joyful teaching model that foments creative expression, community development, and the growth of socioemotional abilities. LitClub promotes creative expression in order to amplify children’s stories, therefore dignifying their experience and giving them a voice in the world.  

On September 7th, a reading festival, ¨Lit-FEST¨, was celebrated simultaneously in all of Fabretto’s Education Centers. Activities such as reading out loud, spelling games, juvenile journalism, among others, were engaging, not only for the students but also the parents and the entire community. The objective of the activity was to generate a positive change in general literacy levels, as well as the reading and writing habits of all members of the community. Similarly to all the activities of LitClub, during Lit-FEST, reading club members assumed leadership roles as mentors and reading role models for younger students. 

Children’s reading: a tool to awaken the imagination and learning

Reading is a key point in children’s cognitive process, given that it plays an important role in the development of their imagination, the learning of new words, and especially the strengthening of their memories. Reading habits must be taught in boys and girls from a very young age before they begin the process of scholarly reading and they have full reading comprehension skills. Therefore, it is important that the first step in a child’s education is taken at home. Experts in the emotional cognitive development of children agree that the first step in the apprenticeship of minors is to search for short stories and texts that, aside from sparking the love of reading, encourage the development of their imagination.

Once little ones experience on their own the adventure of reading, it increases their attention levels, creativity, and imagination. At the same time, children develop much more confidence when reading out loud and in public, and strengthen their communication skills with other children as they learn to express their feelings, ideas, and how to resolve conflicts. In the case of 14-year-old, Maria, in spite of a delay in her physical development due to poor nutrition during her childhood, she has developed capabilities and has strengthened her self-esteem and interaction with others through LitClub.

Experts agree that cultivating the habit of reading in children like Maria also helps improve their learning methods in school.

Teaching by example

The writer, Alberto Sánchez Argüello, comments that one of the best incentives for children to develop the habit of reading is to see their parents or guardians as active readers who talk to them about the reading process, make them active participants of this enriching activity and take them to visit bookstores where spaces and events for young readers.

For this reason, encouraging reading from an early age enriches skills in children that they will put into practice throughout their lives, which will also result in a better future for themselves and their society.

About LitWorld

LitWorld is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded by literacy worker Pam Allyn in 2007. LitWorld works with a coalition of more than 50 organizations worldwide to guarantee that young people throughout the world can experiment the happiness and transformative power of reading, writing, and storytelling.

LitWorld Mission: Strengthening kids and communities through the power of their own stories. Together, authoring a bold new world of equity and opportunity.