Here's how you can foster love for reading in your kids during the circuit breaker period

The NLB cultivates knowledge and learning by supporting reading and history through its 26 libraries, National Archives and the National Library. Its innovative ways of engaging citizens through the digital platform has created better access to learning resources.

To initiate early reading habits, NLB is focussing on kids of all ages. By organising storytelling for toddlers, Singapore aims at introducing learning habits quite early.

With storytelling for toddlers, Singapore wants better readers

NLB Singapore is inviting parents, caregivers and grandparents to join in with babies in the wide variety of interesting programmes they have come up with. Some very popular activities are:

Fostering reading at a young age

NLB Singapore is inviting parents, caregivers and grandparents to join in with babies in the wide variety of interesting programmes they have come up with. Some very popular activities are:

• Baby lap-sit:
  This 30-minute session has songs, rhymes and fingerplays for parents to bond with babies. Aimed at babies up to 12 months, the songs are specially meant to provide rhythm to swaying and bouncing babies. Parents can use these to engage their toddlers at home.
• Babies can be members too:
  This programme encourages parents to register their toddlers with library membership. Kids can achieve both bonding and learning over books. Kids get a ‘baby gift pack’ as a welcome gift on registration.
• Jiggle, read and rhyme:
  The 30-minute interactive sessions are for kids aged 1 to 3 years. Rhymes and storytelling make an important part of these sessions.

Parents can sit-in and observe during Junior Reading clubs, Early Literacy programmes and storytelling, and NLB further conducts aimed at parents to raise awareness about inculcating good reading habits in their children. 

Online storytelling for older kids

NLB is offering weekly storytelling sessions in English, Malay, Chinese and Tamil for older kids up to the age of 10.

The sessions will be around 5 to 15 minutes long and will be hosted by librarians, volunteers and local authors.

These storytelling sessions are pre-recorded and available on the respective Facebook pages. This will go on beyond the circuit breaker period and we will review the frequency of the online storytelling sessions after the libraries reopen.

Storytelling for toddlers and older kids: What does NLB offer during the circuit breaker period?

Utilising technology to keep providing their services to the public despite closing down its spaces physically, Singaporeans can make use of the following online services made available to them by the NLB during this period:

• NLB mobile app
  The new QRcode login set to be implemented by the end of April will make login easy without having to type in IDs and passwords.

  The HyRead mobile app has more than 1000 Chinese eBooks, comics and magazines to read from.

  The Libby app has a new ‘Skip the line’ initiative to read and return eBooks within 7 days instead of the usual 21 days. This makes eBook circulation faster.

  The ebooks available online are just a click away and range from evergreen classics to popular teen-fiction, thereby appealing to all ages and interests. 

ALSO READ: Stay home: 6 only-child activities to do at home

• NLB on Facebook
  Librarians, authors, and volunteers have arranged for online storytelling sessions for toddlers in English, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil, to be posted regularly online. These pre-recorded sessions are posted on their Facebook page. 

  Further talks, programmes and various online reading clubs have also been organised for Singaporeans of all ages in all 4 languages, in order to enable the public to connect and socialise over reading.

For the latest updates on the coronavirus, visit here.

This article was first published in theAsianparent.