Books and Storytelling – Tala faʻasolopito

Reading and writing provides a foundation for learning. With younger children, reading programmes should build on the children’s interest in listening to fàgogo and other stories, rhymes, and solo. They should start to play at retelling Samoan stories and to read books published in Samoan.

Younger children start to understand that print holds meaning, that thoughts, stories, and speech can be written down, and that writing can be read over and over again. As emergent writers, children develop concepts about print, such as orienting the page and directionality, and realise that macrons and glottal stops can be guides to pronunciation and meaning.
It is important that children and students be encouraged to read widely in Samoan. Reading is one of the keys to Samoan language development. Vocabulary will grow as their experiences with the Samoan language increase.

Reading, writing, listening and speaking support learning across all the strands of Te Whāriki. Sharing and creating stories about the things they know and do, support children’s sense of belonging and values the experiences and knowledge they bring. Books and storytelling also provide great opportunities for children to talk about emotions. Children’s well-being grows when they feel listened to and valued. Books give children the chance to explore their world. In particular, children’s developing literacy is supported in the Communication strand, which looks at children developing verbal and non-verbal communication skills, experiencing the stories and symbols of their own and other cultures, and finding ways of being creative and expressive.