Primary Read aloud project report 2021
The Richness of Gratitude

“We have an obligation to our children to bring stories to life with our voice, and engage their imagination”.

 

In the last week of January 2021, our Primary Read Aloud Project 2021 did just that!

 

The Read Aloud Project that we started last year, was greatly appreciated by our students and parents, encouraging us to embark on the second phase of the project. Our parent volunteers were our ‘guest readers’, and they took on the responsibility to read to our children and engage them in relevant activities, as a follow-up.

 

The theme this year was ‘Gratitude’, a feeling we all have experienced often in the last few months. Our goal this year was to instil in our students, important social skills, and to create a culture of kindness in the classroom, the community, and beyond. Our parent volunteers picked out appropriate stories to read to the children; stories that would develop their thoughts and encourage them to ask questions while reading aloud.

 

The classes were divided into smaller break-out rooms, on the online platform, and two guest readers conducted the session, with the teachers present to assist them. Reading aloud meant being together and experiencing stories together, as the children learnt to be grateful for the things they have.

 

The stories triggered the children’s imagination and creativity, stimulating them to ask questions and express their gratitude to their family, friends, neighbours, teachers and to the community.

The activities that followed the reading were varied, enjoyable, and interactive; and encouraged our children to be innovative. The children enjoyed Gratitude Art and Craft, Scavenger Hunt, designing and creating cards with thank you messages, dramatization, quizzes, ‘Gratitude Jar’, cooking, and lots n’ lots of sharing of feelings.

 

The session and the activities nurtured amongst our children the belief that there is good in the world and helped them appreciate what is good in themselves and in others.

 

In our stressful, busy, modern world, teaching our children to reflect on all that they are grateful for, is essential in developing their overall health and a sense of wellbeing.

 

We are grateful to our parent volunteers, for their involvement and creativity in conducting the Read Aloud session, with the support of Spin A Yarn, India. Thank you!