Collaboration of Yew Chung College of Early Childhood Education, Bring Me A Book, and OneSky Global Centre to Boost Children's Literacy with Storytelling and Pet Interaction

Yew Chung College of Early Childhood Education (YCCECE) collaborated with Bring Me A Book Hong Kong (BMAB), a local charity advocating for family literacy, to arrange Storytelling training for a group of Year 2 Bachelor of Education student teachers. This is part of their study module focusing on “Child language and literacy”, in which YCCECE students can learn the best practices for effective storytelling to enhance children’s literacy.

Following the taught training session, YCCECE student teachers conducted a vibrant storytelling session for 20 families at the P. C. Lee OneSky Global Centre (OSGC) for Early Childhood Development in Sham Shui Po on 16 October 2024 over two sessions in the morning and afternoon.

The event at OSGC kicked off with a pet engagement activity, where children from newborn to age six enjoyed a meet-and-greet session with adorable pets, these pets including a chinchilla, a chihuahua, and two geckos. Following this pet interaction activity, YCCECE student teachers conducted story telling sessions for children. They played a crucial role in bringing animal-themed storybooks in English and Chinese to life with creatively designed multisensory activities tailored for the children, before and during interactive storytelling. This collaborative effort of YCCECE, BMAB, and OSGC has not only nurtured a love for reading among young children but also allowed student teachers to learn how to foster closer kid-and-parent connections and create extension activities that coincided with a “pet” theme day at OSGC.

Moazzma, YCCECE Bachelor of Education Year 2 student, reflected, "The storytelling opportunity was insightful as I got to apply my knowledge and skills in the storytelling practically. I have also learnt that a teacher has to be flexible when conducting activities based on the children’s interests from the storytelling opportunity."

Dr Elaine Lau, Assistant Professor of YCCECE, remarked, "This is a great opportunity for our students to learn through experiential learning.  They not only learn practical skills in the classroom from professional trainers at BMAB, but also collaborate on developing plans, practicing story delivery, preparing props, and ultimately witnessing the impact and joy they bring to children and their caregivers through enhanced stories and activities. This experience helps students understand the importance of continually equipping themselves and perfecting their skills, so they are always ready to serve the community—just as they did during this special opportunity to reach out to families at OneSky Global Centre.”

Ms Jeannie Leung, Executive Director of BMAB, commented, “This collaboration between BMAB, YCCECE, and OneSky Global Centre allowed young children to benefit from storytelling by pre-service teachers and provided parents and caregivers with an opportunity to experience the versatility of storytelling. We look forward to bringing workshops to more families in Hong Kong to promote family bonding through regular read-aloud sessions and reading for pleasure.”