The issue of low literacy levels in South Africa is serious and cannot be overstated. With each new statistic, the urgency to address this issue grows stronger, highlighting the importance of starting conversations about reading and literacy, both within your community and at home.

 

Encouraging children to develop a love for reading not only helps them academically but also opens doors to lifelong learning. Promoting reading from an early age is essential in building future generations that are informed, empowered, and ready to succeed.

Parents, therefore, are a crucial piece of the puzzle in creating a reading nation, alongside community libraries and effective Early Childhood Development (ECD) reading programs. Afrika Tikkun Bambanani’s co-founder, Theresa Michael, emphasises that the low literacy levels in South Africa are influenced by factors such as the lack of foundational literacy skills, limited access to quality ECD programs, and the home environment.

 

“Early exposure to books has a profound impact on a child’s development, aiding in language skills, school readiness, and social and emotional growth,” Michael shared. She adds that parents with limited literacy skills can still contribute to the child’s success in this area by using other methods such as storytelling, engaging your children with creative activities like drawing, and interacting with the environment.

 

Alternative methods are endless, needing only the parent’s commitment and zeal in cultivating this skill.

“Parents need to realise the importance of storytelling, conversation, and singing as foundational steps to literacy. These activities naturally develop language skills: talking, telling stories, and singing build vocabulary, listening skills, and phonemic awareness, which are essential for reading. By sharing practical examples and showing how these everyday interactions can be fun and educational, parents can see that they are already fostering literacy at home without needing books or formal lessons. Encouraging parents to engage in these activities will help build their confidence in supporting their child’s early learning,” adds Michael.

She further stresses the importance of reading in one’s home language, as it builds foundational literacy skills while reinforcing cultural identity and cognitive development.

“It supports cognitive development and makes learning to read in additional languages easier. Provide books in the home language and read with children regularly to build fluency and comprehension. Parents can also expand a child’s reading pallet by introducing books in different languages, and that helps strengthen overall literacy and support their children’s multilingual development.”

 

Afrika Tikkun Bambanani, an organization focused on providing comprehensive solutions for early childhood development (ECD) in South Africa, has long played a role in encouraging early literacy through community-based initiatives, providing storybooks to ECD centres, and has since introduced their Bamba Learn app that features visual and audio books, providing children with opportunities to listen to stories and build literacy skills in an interactive, digital format.

 

The most effective way to inspire a culture of reading, particularly in underprivileged communities, is through accessible literacy programs involving families, schools, and communities.

 

Community libraries also play a very crucial role, especially in underprivileged homes.

 

Michael concluded, “By building community libraries and providing free books, we can nurture a love for reading and make literacy a shared community goal.”

 

Parents can foster a love of reading in their children through various practical and creative ways, even if they don’t have many books at home.