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Fostering a reading culture in your children from a young age has extremely positive developmental and social effects. This is very important in South Africa, where 50% of kids have never read a book with a parent.
Storytime should be the staple of any child's bedtime routine, but for some families incorporating time for reading as part of their daily routine is a hurdle.
You know what? I totally get it.
So coming to save you are sisters Zaria, 13, and Hailey, 8. The duo put their love of reading to good use, reading bedtime stories to children whose parents can't.
Must read: Addressing SA's reading crisis may start with screen time
"We are not only helping children, we are giving parents a nice break after a long day of work", said the sisters from Delaware in the United States.
The sisters shared on Facebook that their love of reading comes from being read to by their mom since they were babies.
On Sunday the sisters go to the library and pick out books for the week, and then each night of the week they read to children all over the world via Facebook Live.
On their Facebook page @ZariaHailey the sisters explained how the idea came about:
"My sister and I were lying in bed one night giggling about something when this idea came about. We presented the idea to my mom, and she agreed it would be great. She personally doesn't want us to be on social media but we all agreed being on it in a positive way would help light the world."
Also read: You could be putting your child off reading – here’s how to change that
"Our main purpose is to read a book of our choice each night at a designated time so that children can have a bedtime story each night. We are already reading each night but we thought it may be beneficial for children who don't get this luxury. Parents sometimes work late or are too tired for stories."
Watch a selection of their Facebook reading series below.
The Willard sisters are definitely an incredible book-loving pair.
Now they are working on publishing their own children's book series. For the time being, you can watch them read on weekdays on Facebook.
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