National reading experts have developed these activities for you to use with children ages birth to 6. The activities are meant to be used in addition to reading with children’s simple book program designed.
Our primary goal will be to develop great enthusiasm in the reader for reading and writing. You are the child’s cheerleader. It is less critical for the reader to get every word exactly right. It is more important for the child to learn to love reading itself. If the reader finishes one book and asks for another, you know you are succeeding! If your reader writes even once a week and comes back for more, you know you have accomplished your beginning goals.
Start young and stay with it.
An infant can look at pictures at just a few months of age, listen to your voice, and point to objects on cardboard pages. Guide your child by pointing to the images and saying the names of the various things. By drawing attention to pictures and associating the words with photos and real-world objects, your child will learn the importance of language.
Children learn to love the sound of language before they even notice the existence of printed words on a page. Reading books aloud stimulates children’s imagination and expands their world understanding. It helps them develop language and listening skills and prepares them to understand the written word. When the rhythm and melody of language become a part of a child’s life, learning to read will be as natural as learning to walk and talk.
Read More: One Child Two Meals per Day Program: many in Africa cannot get three square meals a day after the post-Covid-19.
Why Focus on Summer?
Summer vacation makes up about one-quarter of the calendar year. Students face different opportunities based on their families’ social and economic status. An analysis of summer learning (Cooper, Nye, et al., 1996) found that “all students lost mathematics and reading knowledge over the summer…This evidence also indicated that losses were larger for low-income students, particularly in reading.” Summer reading has become a critical component of state legislation promoting student literacy.
The Horizons at Warner program is committed to maintaining and improving student literacy with our kids every summer they return. Nationwide, each affiliate of Horizons National administers reading assessments to students during the first and last weeks of the program. Pre-assessment allows our teachers to customize the learning experience on a student-need basis. Post-assessment reinforces this by revealing student progress in each area and giving insight into how we can improve program design in the future.
Advertise the joy of reading!
Our goal is to motivate children to want to read so they will practice reading independently and, thus, become fluent readers. That happens when children enjoy reading. We parents can do for reading what fast food chains do for hamburgers. ADVERTISE! And we advertise by reading great stories and poems to children.
We can help our children find the tools they need to succeed. Having access to information through the printed word is an absolute necessity. Knowledge is power, and books are full of it. But reading is more than just a practical tool. Through books, we can enrich our minds and relax and enjoy some precious leisure moments of book programs designed.
With your help, your children can begin a lifelong relationship with the printed word, so they grow into adults who read easily and frequently, whether for business, knowledge, or pleasure.
Help Save Children in Africa
Save the Children has worked in Africa for more than 60 years. Today, with millions of children and families in Africa already struggling to cope with the impacts of conflict and climate change, COVID-19 is another shock undermining their livelihoods and pushing them toward acute hunger and malnutrition. In places like Africa, poverty and conflict have hindered families’ access to education for years.
Read More: One Book, One Child Initiatives
How can I Sponsor a child today?
You can sponsor a child in one of three ways – call and speak with us at +1-203-843-5885; email us at support@ryvanzmiacharity.org; or go online to our donation portal, SPONSOR A CHILD.
We provide children living in poverty with the education, hope, and opportunity they need that will allow them to grow and contribute to their communities. We are grateful to past and current sponsors around the globe; we work with two affiliated partners in Ghana and Uganda to offer basic needs such as educational materials and community support to children and their families yearly
» more Sponsorship Stories coming up!
MORE STORIES OF HOPE
Read more from the Founder’s page.
