Parents coached on early learning process

Parents have been advised to expose their children to different methods of learning.

Nina Milne, the Managing Director of The Reading Palace told parents that some people learn best by seeing, hearing while others by touching things.

"People vary in their learning styles so you need to expose your children to the different styles. It is not that one mainly learns through visuals but everyone has each of these elements in them," she said.

Children learning how to read during the Uganda children literacy festival 2016 at green Hill Academy Kibuli

 

A child who is visual may also be a social and verbal learner but prefers to learn through what they see. Introducing children to the different styles helps a parent to unlock and maximize the full learning potential of their child.

She also asked the parents to be patient with their children while they prepare them for the learning process right from the way they hold a pencil and throughout as they encourage this development process.  

Milne made the remarks today during The Children's Literacy Festival at Greenhill Academy Kibuli in Kampala.

According to Milne, the event was meant to expose both children and teachers to other methodologies of not only reading but also of comprehension and analysis.

The first of its kind, the event brought together children from schools like Greenhill Academy, Ndejje Junior School, Lohana Academy and Kampala Parents School.

Several parents and teachers representing other schools participated in activities that not only taught their children the value of reading but also understanding and taking on the lessons learnt from the event.

The festival was marked with different activities. Among them was a story garden where children read a story book with a teacher, identified the subjects, discovered the moral of the story and drew pictures shown in the story.

Children participating in the feature story reading through music, dance and drama

 
One outstanding activity was the Feature Storytelling that caught the attention of most children, parents and teachers. The use of sound effects, illustration, music and acting to tell the stories was hard to ignore, even for most children.

Sarah Mukyala, a music teacher at Greenhill Academy said this method of teaching helps the children to enjoy what they are learning.

"This helps them to learn and also refresh. They are able to keep the experience in their minds," she said.

In addition, this helps them to develop their reading skills.

Mukyala calls upon teachers to employ the use of music and acting so that children are able to create their own experiences and discover things on their own.

 

Other activities included poetry, reading newspapers, drawing, shading, writing comic strips, building bricks and making scrap books.

According to Walda Nalule, a teacher at Greenhill Academy, the different platforms exposed children to develop their critical thinking especially through writing comic strips.

"Writing and drawing what they see or events from their experiences helps them to grasp the sequence of how things happen and keeps them creative," she said.

Jackline Kusasira, another teacher cited these activities as a way to help children develop their brains and develop good speech as they interact with one another.

It also creates friendship and a habit of sharing which translate in understanding the value of team work.

 
Commenting on the festival, Wilberforce Kamengo a parent and English language teacher said reading is a pertinent aspect that allows children to be unique because they are able to communicate freely and confidently.

Ivy Kabagambe, a parent who encourages a reading culture among her children from a tender age said there is more need for experts on early learning childhood to sensitize parents on their role in the learning process of children right from infancy.

Milne says parents do not know the impact that they have on their children if they work together with the teachers especially during this process.

However, this is not a lost cause. She encourages parents to get involved and prioritize the learning needs of their children.

"I encourage parents to be involved and partner with their school teachers. Of course it is the responsibility of the school but if you work with them, you get much more out of it," Milne concluded.

The Reading Palace Managing Director Nina Milne (orange T-shirt) briefs parents on how to help their children while reading and writing during pleasure at home