Using the Tent to Inculcate Good Reading Habits Among Children in Kajiado County Kenya

Children’s Reading Tent (CRT) activities focus on lower primary school level based on the fact that good reading habits and skills inculcated among children in their formative years equip them to nurture to maturity a love for reading. Due to poor reading culture in Kenya, there is need to organize reading tents, which enhance reading skills amongst children. The moves towards reading tents are to promote reading and enhance literacy in both rural and urban communities. The objective of the CRTs were to: develop an interest in reading amongst children; to nature reading skills in children; build and support an interest in books amongst children; improve writing and creative skills among the children; equip teachers with skills necessary for promoting a reading culture, avail a wide variety of books to the children and train teachers on basic skills of running CRTs. Participants for the children reading tent was drawn from five primary schools within Kajiado County with children from classes one (1), two (2) and three (3) and one (1) teacher from each of the participating schools. Local facilitators from the community where the event was held were involved. The CRT objectives were achieved through sharing of reading ideas, insha writing, composition, dictation, poems reciting, drawing, storytelling, reading aloud, translation of stories, silent reading and itranslating into mother tongue and games. The study recommended that one day allocated for the children’s activities is not enough, a budget allocation for presents for the best performers and all participating children, a one-day workshop for the teachers before conducting CRT, a whole class should be involved and similar activities should be organized in Migori and Kakamega counties in Kenya. Key words: Children’s Reading Tent, reading habits, reading for leisure, mobile library DOI: 10.7176/IKM/15-1-06 Publication date: May 31st 2025