How the city of Konz brings children closer to reading
How the city of Konz brings children closer to reading - More than just a reading day in the city library of Konz
Konz, November 15, 2021 - Reading is an important stimulus for children's development. Not only for reading skills, but also for personality development and social skills. But reading aloud often falls short – this is the conclusion of the 2021 reading aloud study, which was published a few weeks ago. It is all the more important to offer children an entertaining reading program, especially next Friday, November 19, 2021: because that is nationwide reading day.
Actor Manfred Rath is a guest at the Konz City Library for the occasion. In the mornings he reads to smaller children. In the afternoon, older children can also listen to exciting stories and join in the excitement. Interested parties can call the city library to inquire whether there is still space available. (tel: 06501 7888)
But not only on this day does the city of Konz offer children a special program in the city library. On request, there are, for example, adventure tours for day care centers and schools. Among other things, a picture book cinema awaits the little participants there, which means: stories are told with pictures - either with a screen and beamer or in the classic way with a Kamishibai.
"It is very important to us that children are introduced to reading at an early age," says Joachim Weber, Mayor of the City of Konz. After the birth of the child, you will receive a letter from him with which you will receive a newborn voucher for the city library. Parents can then borrow children's books to read to them. "And the selection for this is huge," says the head of the city library, Elisabeth Kurzmann, and adds: "We have books for all age groups and we try to use them to introduce children of all ages to reading." For example, there are special reading starter sets for three-year-olds . This includes, among other things, a picture book and a multilingual parents' brochure with many reading tips for everyday family life. And when the children come to school, there is another letter from the mayor - this time with a voucher for their first library card.
As soon as the children can read themselves, they continue to be enthusiastic visitors to the city library. This can be seen in campaigns such as the Rhineland-Palatinate Reading Summer. Children in Konz receive small prizes such as flashlights, kites or badminton games for reading three books in the summertime. "Last summer we had around 450 registrations for the reading summer and more than 4,000 books were read," summarizes Elisabeth Kurzmann. And Mayor Weber is also happy about the positive response: "It's nice to see how much fun children have with reading." That's why it's important to the city to always keep what's on offer for the little ones up to date. Of course, this does not only include classic books. As of this month, children with a library card can use the new “Tigerbooks” app, for example. More than 8,000 media for children between the ages of two and ten are available there, including e-books to read themselves, radio plays, children's songs and interactive picture books with a 3D world of experience, read-aloud function, learning and reading games. The app is child-safe, ad-free and offers no purchase incentives.