Read aloud/Storytelling

Why reading is so important for the little ones

All children should receive the gift of reading, which brings with it access to the world and to the greatest range of thoughts, so that they come better to understand themselves, people around them, history, culture and science. Reading also helps kids with their literacy and social-emotional skills,  language development and listening skills. Other than these benefits, reading aloud helps the little ones with their speech, communication, logical thinking and enhanced concentration  as well. It was reported that kids who are exposed to reading are much more likely to choose books over video games, television, and other forms of entertainment as they grow older.

Reading aloud to the little ones is the best way to help them develop a life long reading habit and close relationship between the readers. At the same time, it also helps the kids with word mastery and grammatical understanding. It was found that picture books are two to three times as likely as parent-child conversations to include a word that isn’t among the 5,000 most common English words. Therefore, reading stories aloud is a more effective way to introduce children to an extensive vocabulary than talking to them. We suggest parents reading books with your little ones, just like the poem by Richard Peck describes:

Read to your children, twenty minutes a day, you have the time, and so do they.
Read while the laundry is in the machine, read while the dinner cooks,
Tuck a child in the crook of your arm and reach for the library books.
Hide the remote, let the computer games cool,
Your children needs you in addition to school,
Let them hear their first tales in the sound of your voice.
Turn the pages together, sitting close as you’ll fit
Til a small voice beside you says,
”Hey, don’t quit”

Challenges for parents reading with kids at home

In order to pass the passion about reading to the little ones, parents need a peaceful and playful mind to read aloud with their kids. However, it is a very challenging task for parents with busy daily schedules. Another challenge is the over-use of electronic devices. For busy parents, the easier way is to let an iPad read or entertain the kids. However, a study showed there was a significant increase in the warmth of the parent/child interactions, like more laughter, more smiling, more shows of affection when reading a paper based book together than using an electronic screen. Those feelings will make kids love reading and become passionate about reading because they believe reading is fun.

Read aloud/ storytelling program

With the goal to assist parents to bring up life long readers, DeRin is setting up a reading /storytelling club for little kids from Grade 1  to Grade 3. The club will be run by a passionate educator/storyteller. In each session, 1 to 2 books will be read, and the kids will have a chance to retell the story with their own words and imagination. We believe this program will ignite their passion about reading, and at the same time, will help their story telling, speech and communication skills. The books are handpicked by DeRin based on the age group, story message, illustration and story format. Most of them are classical children's picture books.

Our Teachers

Annie is a BCS and BBA double degree candidate at the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University. She has over 9 years of teaching experience working with children and youth in areas including public speaking, English, and music. She has had the privilege of developing her public speaking skills through Debate and Model United Nations at both the high school and university levels. In the past year, Annie has joined Toastmasters International where she is currently working towards her second Pathway in her DTM designation. She has also consistently placed top 3 at the club, area, and district level in the International Speech Contest and Table Topics (Impromptu Speaking) Contest. In her free time, you can find Annie honing her public speaking skills at various speaking engagements, playing the piano, and working on her nonprofit organization.

Deb is a children’s educator, author and storyteller. As an E.C.E. professional for over 30 years, she has extensive teaching experience with children of all ages and abilities. Deb is also trained in theater arts and understands the importance of igniting the creative spark in children. She is passionate about encouraging kids to explore their imagination through creative writing and telling their stories. 

As the past owner of “Dramantics”, a drama school for children, Deb inspired many young actors to perform skits they wrote themselves. Building self-esteem was always the goal and she took great pride in helping children learn to express themselves with confidence and clarity. 

As a storyteller, Deb is thrilled to share her children’s audio CD entitled “Deb’s Story Time adventures” with kids and their parents. These original stories entertain as well as nurture a child’s imagination.

She is the founder of the “Enlighten Up” series of workshops and continues to be excited about sharing her ideas with academic and corporate audiences everywhere. As a professional speaker and humorist, Deb inspires people to laugh more and rediscover the joy of life!