World Storytelling Day

Once upon a time, a long time ago (well, actually back in 1991 in Sweden), a Storytelling Day was held.  The idea behind this event caught on around the globe, and now we celebrate WORLD STORYTELLING DAY on an international level.

The aim of World Storytelling day is to celebrate the art of oral storytelling, with as many people as possible around the world telling and listening to stories in their own languages on the same day.  

People who are taking part can link up with others around the globe who are also contributing - making it a truly international festival that has the potential to create new friends and helps to promote positive understanding of cultures around the world.

So come on - sit down with your friends,family and loved ones - and join the United Nations of storytellers on this day of celebrating cultural folklore and the art of oral storytelling!  Why not spin a yarn, and pass your stories down to the next generation? 

This year World Storytelling Day starts on Friday 20th March and goes through to Friday 27th March - and the theme for 2020 is Voyages. 

Check out the link below for more information: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Storytelling_Day

World Read Aloud Day

World Read Aloud day is in place to motivate, children, teens and adults to celebrate the POWER OF WORDS.

This global literacy movement is about taking action to show the world that the right to read and write belongs to ALL PEOPLE! And no-one has the power to take it away from you!

World Read Aloud day asks everyone to celebrate the day by grabbing a book, finding an audience, a buddy, or even your furry friend, and reading out loud. (To be honest, my furry friends prefer me to be reading a can of cat food - but they are good enough to sit still for a while and listen.)

Why is reading aloud important? A 2015 study found that children are exposed to a larger vocabulary from picture books read aloud, than from conversations with adults. This appears to be because we tend to speak with the same 5000 most popular words; while books - even picture books - are more likely to use words outside of that popular 5000. (This also demonstrates my point about how important picture books are, no matter your age) The other point that came through clearly in the study was that children who are read to, are far more likely to become lifelong readers.

Although World Read Aloud Day has previously been celebrated on March the 5th - this year it was moved to February 5th. However, don't let that stop you ... we can celebrate it on March 5th or any other day that appeals.