JAMAICAN mothers and fathers are being encouraged to treat parenting as a serious issue, placing significant emphasis on playing, talking and reading with their children, as the country observes Parent Month this November.

Activities for the month, which are being promoted by the Ministry of Education and the Coalition for Better Parenting, were officially launched last Friday at Jamaica House under the theme: Parent the Right Way — Read, Talk, Play with Your Child Everyday.

Dr Rebecca Tortello, senior advisor to the minister of education and chairman of the Parent Month Planning Committee said that while parents are being urged to continue to read with their children, it is very important for them to talk with their children instead of talking at them, and also to play with them as playing is one of the most vital way that children learn about the environment and how to negotiate their place in the world and with people.

“We are asking the nation to have a ‘family play day’ at least one day during this month, have a games’ night at home, find a park near you, play football, dandy shandy, ring games or whatever you would like to play but spend time playing together,” said Dr Tortello.

She was addressing Observer reporters and editors at the newspaper’s weekly Monday Exchange at the company’s Beechwood Avenue headquarters in Kingston.

“…Read with your children; even if you yourself cannot read or is an uncomfortable reader, you can still open the book and show them the pictures and talk about the pictures so the child is exposed from an early age to the words in print,” she added.

Dr Tortello said a number of parents today are busy while some are young and often times passed on the responsibility to the grandparents, as a result does not spend enough time bonding with their children through talking, reading and playing.

Laurel Brent-Harris, national literacy co-ordinator in the Ministry of Education, also stressed the need for parents to read with their children.

“You don’t have to be a good reader to help your child to read,” she said, while appealing to parents to buy education materials instead of Game Boys and other electronic games, as well as to teach their children nursery rhymes and jingles that will help to develop their mental skills.

“Our children must not see reading as punishment, but first we must be models as parents and as adults. Let the child see you holding a magazine, a piece of paper or your Bible if that is what is in the house and recognise that the matter of reading is important,” Brent-Harris said.

She said Parents Teachers’ Associations have taken on a new dimension and are now not only advocating for a principals or teachers of choice but have started to help illiterate parents to build learning materials for their children.

The month’s activities, which was started officially on Sunday with a national church service at the Pentecostal City Mission Church in Kingston, will include regional church services, workshops for parents and staff members in the ministries, a family movie night and family play day.