READ-ALOUD WEEK ANNOUNCEMENT-2021

Read-aloud Week-21-28 January 2021

For the fourth consecutive years, the Read with Me program invites children, teenagers, and families to celebrate read-aloud week in January. Even though COVID-19 has made social life extremely difficult,  reading at home can still open up paths to knowledge and a shared joy of reading.

This year, with an emphasis on “Reading in Families”, we start this year’s read-aloud week with these words:

“From everywhere, every corner,
the voice of our reading-aloud is heard.

It gives us hope, promise,
after dark, comes light,
after sorrow, comes joy.”

We invite all parents, teachers, librarians and enthusiasts to turn their homes into bases for reading promotion, fill their children with joy of reading and strengthen their bonds within their families.

We suggest you to:

• Pick a book up and read-aloud to your children, if you are parents.
• Engage all family members in your read-aloud activities.
• Encourage older siblings to read-aloud to their younger siblings.
• Have grandparents join your read-aloud sessions.
• Hold online read-aloud sessions for families and talk to them about the importance of reading if you are teachers, librarians or promoters
• Spend time reading aloud to children within your relatives or friends and tell parents of the importance of reading in their children’s all-rounded development.
• In regions where the pandemic situation has been controlled and gatherings are possible, throw read-aloud events using health protocols, preferably in open air.
• Don’t forget follow-up activities like role-playing, conversations, drawing, …
• Don’t forget children who can’t benefit from the safety of a home.

You can share your read-aloud experiences in social media with the #read_aloud_week hashtag. If you want to be featured on our Instagram pages, please tag these two pages in the description box:
@koodaki_org
@khanak_org

You can alternatively send your read-aloud experiences in picture, video or text format to our Telegram:
https://t.me/Khanak_Archives

Why Read-aloud?

• Read-aloud is an effective and enjoyable way to share books with children.
• Read-aloud is the best way to develop children’s language skills
• Read-aloud from birth until the end of preschool can build the foundation for children’s emergent literacy
• Children who are read-aloud to before entering school, are ahead in their studies.
• Children who haven’t learned how to read will become interest in reading if they are read-aloud to.
• Read-aloud strengthens your bond with your child.
• Read-aloud has significant influence over children in crisis as it reduces anxiety and provides opportunities to heal their suffering minds.

Read-aloud is the reading of books to children out loud and reflecting the ups and downs of the plot in one’s voice. In many countries, a day or week has been allocated to reading aloud. In Iran, the Institute for Research on the History of Children’s Literature, with its significant achievements through the Read with Me program, has allocated a week to reading aloud. It is worth noting that January 21^st is the  anniversary of “Ketabak” website, the only online reading promotion platform in Iran, created by the Institute for Research on the History of Children’s Literature.