Celé česko čte dětem ® - čtěme dětem 20 minut denně, každý den

About the Project

The objective of this project is, through the use of educational, organisational, and promotional activities, to support the emotional health of children and youth.

The project, "Every Czech Reads to Kids", originated out of the recognition that, as a society, we must reinforce the deep importance of reading aloud to children both in terms of their emotional development as well as forming the habit of reading, and continuing it into their adult lives. Both researchers and teachers agree that regular reading aloud teaches a child language and thought, develops memory and imagination, enriches knowledge, sharpens moral reasoning, strengthens concentration, defends against the dangers of mass culture, and strengthens self-confidence.

The authors of this project hope adults will realise that today's world is often complicated and adversarial for children. Hurry and stress, ignorance of children's emotional needs, insufficient time and the often negative influence of television and computer games cause more and more children to suffer from unnecessary emotional disturbances.

Consequently, the shared activity of reading aloud is not only a long-lasting form of intelligent contact with children, but, moreover, provides an excellent and enjoyable educational tool.

Reading aloud in a friendly atmosphere is a reliable and effective manner of displaying how the reading process can become very attractive to children, even more attractive than television. Habitual practice is the best way to show children their importance, to express our love for them, to gently and gradually develop their language skills, to expand their general knowledge and perception of the world, and to allow them to form their own habits and a need for reading that can continue into their adult life. Whereas television provides the story and all the imagery, reading encourages a child's imagination and allows them to develop their own idea of stories, which in turn can help them to better develop the stories of their own lives.

We should unquestionably make the minimal investment of twenty minutes a day reading aloud-for and with our children-and let us educate them as discerning readers.

Nobody is a born reader. We have to show them the way.