Johannesburg – As South African schools close for the mid-year break, Nal’ibali is encouraging families across the country to turn the school holidays into a season of stories, imagination, and learning through its Family Literacy Programme.
Nal’ibali, South Africa’s national reading-for-enjoyment campaign, is running a programme that equips parents, caregivers, grandparents, and other family members with practical tools and resources to support children’s literacy development at home.
Through storytelling, shared reading, conversations, songs, and play-based activities, families can help children continue learning and reading for enjoyment throughout the almost month-long school holiday period.
Research consistently shows that children benefit when reading and storytelling are part of their daily lives.
While schools play an important role in teaching children how to read, families play a crucial role in helping children develop a lifelong love of reading and books.
The importance of family literacy is reflected in the findings of South Africa’s National Reading Survey, commissioned and managed by the Nal’ibali Trust in partnership with the National Library of South Africa.
The survey found that reading with children is increasing in South Africa, highlighting the important role that parents and caregivers play in nurturing reading habits and literacy development at home.
However, it also found that very few homes have more than 10 picture books, underscoring the need for initiatives that support families with access to reading materials and literacy activities.
“The National Reading Survey shows that reading with children is increasing in South Africa, which is encouraging,” said Thato Mahlangu, Communications and Media Officer at Nal’ibali.
“However, many families still face barriers to accessing books and literacy resources.
“Through Nal’ibali’s Family Literacy Programme, we are helping parents and caregivers make reading and storytelling part of everyday life, ensuring that children continue to learn, imagine and grow throughout the school holidays.”
The Family Literacy Programme encourages families to read aloud with children every day, share stories in home languages and English, create regular family story times, encourage children to tell and retell stories, and use everyday experiences as opportunities for conversation and learning.
Nal’ibali provides free multilingual stories, reading resources, and literacy activities that families can access and enjoy together.
The organisation’s reading-for-enjoyment approach helps children develop literacy skills while fostering creativity, empathy, and a sense of belonging.
As South Africa continues to grapple with a literacy crisis, initiatives that support reading beyond the classroom are more important than ever.
By empowering families to make stories part of everyday life, Nal’ibali is helping to build a nation of readers, one story at a time.
Families looking for free stories and literacy resources can visit Nal’ibali’s website and social media platforms throughout the school holidays for stories, activities, and reading inspiration.
For more information, visit the National Reading Barometer website: https://www.readingbarometersa.org
