We have the pleasure to announce that ABCXXI - All of Poland Reads to Kids Foundation, was honored with The IBBY-Asahi Reading Promotion Award, inaugurated by the International Board on Books for Young People and sponsored by the Japanese newspaper company Asahi Shimbun. The award is presented to projects run by groups or institutions that are judged to be making a lasting contribution to the promotion of reading among children and young people. The Award was presented to the President of the Foundation, Mrs. Irena Komiska, in September 2006 in Macao.

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Report from Study of Results of the "Reading Schools" and "Reading Preschools" Program

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Training Seminar for Local Volunteers Of the Reading Campaign "All of Poland Reads to Kids" 20 - 22 October 2006, Warsaw, Poland

WE ALL WANT OUR CHILDREN TO GROW UP TO BE WISE, GOOD AND HAPPY PEOPLE. THERE IS A WAY TO ACHIEVE THIS - LET'S READ ALOUD TO OUR CHILDREN!

Scientific research confirms that reading aloud to children:

• helps create a strong bond between children and adults,
• ensures appropriate emotional development,
• develops language abilities, memory and imagination,
• teaches them to think, improves concentration,
• increases self-esteem,
• broadens general knowledge,
• facilitates learning and helps them achieve success at school,
• teaches moral values, helps their upbringing,
• prevents them from getting addicted to television or computers,
• protects against the dangers of mass culture,
• creates the lifelong habit of learning and searching for knowledge,

Therefore:

READ TO YOUR CHILD FOR 20 MINUTES A DAY, EVERY DAY!

Reading aloud to babies simulates the development of their brains.

Reading aloud to small children arouses their interest in the world and helps them understand themselves and others.

Reading aloud with teenagers helps them with the problems of adolescence.

"No matter how busy you are, the most important thing you can do for the future of your child, apart from showing your love by hugging, is to read aloud every day and radically limit television".

NOBODY IS BORN A READER A CHILD NEEDS TO BE TAUGHT TO READ FOR PLEASURE BY BEING READ TO EVERY DAY.

• Introduce the ritual of reading aloud to a child for 20 minutes a day.
• If the child asks you to do so, read the same book or poem several times.
• Allow questions, have discussions, and, if necessary re-read previous pages.
• Avoid the division into books for boys and books for girls. So-called books for girls should be read to boys before they start being ashamed of girly stuff. It will help them understand a wider variety of emotions.
• Set an example: children should see their parents reading for themselves - both books and magazines.

A CHILD SHOULD ALWAYS ASSOCIATE READING WITH JOY, AND NEVER WITH COMPULSION, PUNISHMENT OR BOREDOM.

Select appropriate books to read to your child. They should:

• be interesting for the child,
• be well written or translated,
• teach rational thinking,
• convey a message of respect for the child, for people, for other creatures, and for the law,
• promote positive models of behavior
• be adjusted to the child's sensitivity, so as not to instill fears or anxiety,
• avoid cultural stereotypes connected with race, gender, etc.,
• build a positive attitude towards the world and belief in oneself.

Don't waste you child's chances!

Knowledge is the key to the success of individuals and societies.

Reading is the key to knowledge and mental agility.

The habit of reading and enthusiasm for books need to be shaped in childhood, by means of reading aloud.

Reading aloud to children is now much more important than ever:

The amount of information and knowledge is growing dramatically.

Reading protects a child from getting addicted to television or computers.

The bond with parents, strengthened by reading together, gives a child strength to fight numerous temptations and dangers.

Read to your child 20 minutes daily, Every day!

"A nation that doesn't read much doesn't know much. A nation that knows little, takes wrong decisions - at home, at the market, in court, at ballot boxes. The uneducated majority can outvote the educated minority - it is a very dangerous aspect of democracy".

If we wish to live in a country of wise, honest and cultured people, lets ensure that reading aloud every day becomes a priority in our homes, as well as in the kindergartens and schools our children attend.

Join the campaign
All of Poland Reads to Kids
and encourage others!