Friday, June 15, 2007 Telco promotes reading to kids
STORYTELLING, one of the cherished childhood memories for many Filipinos, used to be done at the azotea under a moonlit night or around a beach bonfire with dry twigs crackling.
But as times have changed, gun-toting, bloodthirsty villains in console games have replaced knights in shining armor and damsels in distress in the minds of Filipino children.
With the aim of bringing back the days of magical tales and by encouraging reading among children, Smart Communications Inc. (Smart) gathered employees and volunteers to read stories to kids at the PLDT-Smart Amazing GK Village in Barangay Budlaan, Cebu City.
For five weekends last summer, the volunteers read to the kids stories from the children’s books published by Adarna House Inc.
“We wanted to make the summer more entertaining and productive for kids,” said Ramon R. Isberto, Smart Public Affairs Group head. “We used storytelling to entertain, educate and instill knowledge and values to kids.”
Life skills
Studies show that storytelling also improves vocabulary, prediction, sequencing, comprehension, story structure and recall—skills that will help children improve their life skills. They also help develop better self-esteem.
Warren, one of the kids at the storytelling session who also competed in Baguio City, retold a story to guests during the culminating activity. The story was about a hardworking mother whose hands, because of household work, were compared to sand paper.
“Yes, all of the stories have values,” says Lito Pacolor, manager for Smart’s Public Access Group who is the storytelling project’s lead employee-volunteer.
Shandy Antolijao, 14, has volunteered to be a big sister and a storyteller to a group of more than 60 kids from three to10 years old.
Smart has pledged to collaborate with Cebuano writers in publishing children’s books in the Cebuano dialect.
Isberto and lawyer Jane Paredes, Smart’s public affairs VisMin manager distributed books on the last day, causing the children’s faces to light up.
