Ronia Nkusi is an 8-year-old writer at Little Bears Montessori, Kimihurura. Her love for reading and writing started when she was four. What occupies her, especially in her free time, is reading or writing. In a week, she reads about 10 books. She explains that writing means everything to her because she gets a chance to put down on paper what she imagines. To her, fiction writing is the best since she can play around with ideas, characters, setting and make it appear to be real. Her favourite books are, “The Diary of a Wimpy Kid” by Jeff Kinney. Other books she has read include; “Judy Moody, Girl Detective” by Megan McDonald, “The 7 Habits of Happy Kids” by Sean Covey. These habits include, being proactive, begin with the end in mind, put first things first, prioritise positive choices, plans and accomplishment, think win-win, adopt a growth mindset, seek to understand and be understood, manage feelings and be empathetic, and focus on strengths. “My purpose of reading books is to be entertained, avoid boredom, learn new words, improve my vocabulary, and get ideas for my stories. You can’t be a good writer if you don’t read,” she says. It is through reading extensively that Nkusi managed to compete in a recent spelling bee competition, where she emerged second out of 87 participants. Her dream is to become an author which she hopes to do when she turns 14 as she is positive she will get publishers by that time. Nkusi says that in order for kids to be good readers, they should start reading simple books with small volumes that contain pictures. Tell stories to your teachers and friends using the tactics you have learned from such books. When you outgrow the small books, you will start reading middle books, these are usually for kindergarten. Such books will guide you on how to write; here, you will gradually start writing simple stories. With time, you will be able to write long stories on your own. “Parents and teachers should support kids, provide them with reading materials, read with them to test what they have learnt, it is a step-by–step process, give credit or appreciation when a child reads out the right words or is able to write a story on their own. The learning process needs both teachers’ and parents’ support,” the young writer notes. She calls upon children to read books of their age if they want to learn and if they are challenged with any word, they should not hesitate to ask elders about the meanings. Nkusi urges every child to read because reading develops the mind, helps you discover new things, develops imagination, improves spelling, exposes one to new ideas, improves memory, and is a way of communicating, and helps in fluency. “Writing helps you think visibly, fosters your ability to explain a complex position to readers, helps you get feedback, assists you to refine your ideas when you give others feedback, equips you with the communication and thinking skills you need to participate effectively in any topic, it is a stress reliever, helps you collect and express your thoughts, builds your unknown talent, helps in effective communication and self-improvement and so much more,” Nkusi explains. In order to be a good reader, she says, you ought to spare time to read something a day, it doesn’t matter how short it is, start with books that have a simple diction. Take intervals while reading. Practice what you have read, don’t just rush into finishing the book, read page by page, if you haven’t understood, read it again and associate with those who read a lot, you will get the interest. However, she adds that for you to learn how to write, you have to read a lot, capture ideas, write every day, get inspired. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
