Help is on the way for parents who have trouble getting their children interested in books.
A new educational technique has been introduced with the release of the Indonesian translation of the famous Read-Aloud Handbook on Monday.
"This book encourages parents to read aloud when they tell stories to their children. It will improve a child's literacy ability and encourage them to fall for books," Roosie Setiawan, a founder of the read aloud community "Reading Bugs", said during the book launch at the Kinokuniya Book Store in Plaza Senayan shopping mall, South Jakarta.
During the launch, the Reading Bugs Community also gave away 1,000 handbooks to 1,000 kindergartens throughout Jakarta.
"We believe that teachers play important roles in making children clever. We recommend teachers read stories aloud to their pupils," Roosie said.
The Read-Aloud Handbook was written by Jim Trelease, an American journalist and educator. First published in 1979, it has been reprinted six times and has editions in the UK, Australia, Japan, China and Spain.
The book became a best seller after a million copies officially sold.
Dienna Tjokrosuprihatono, a child psychiatrist, said that a child's brain is like a sponge, which can absorb information quicker than adults.
"It is advisable to read aloud to children under five years old. Their brain grows rapidly from 50 percent of the size of an adult's brain to 70 percent by the time they are 12," Dienna, a speaker at the book launch, said.
She urged people to break out of the mind-set that becoming smart requires a lot of money.
"You do not need much money for the read aloud method, but the results are unbelievable. I have seen the proof myself," she said.
Dienna said that the method attracts children because it is fun and effective. The children are even happier when a story is read using different voices for each character.
"The mother can make different expressions...It can make the story more fun and entertaining," Dienna said.
"The read aloud method also enriches vocabulary and basic knowledge."
The Reading Bugs community will arrange a campaign to promote the method. (naf)
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