Reading selected books to children makes them aware of their rights

The aim is to address the ten most important children's rights and, together with children, create a “Children's Rights Box" for each right. This box contains information about children's rights as well as appropriate activities, creative materials and stories. The project is designed to familiarise children with their rights as set out in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child by reading selected books to them. The aim of the project is to discuss with children the ten most important children's rights such as: equality, health, education, rest and leisure, freedom of expression and participation, protection from violence, access to media, protection of privacy and dignity, protection during war and when forced into exile as well as special care and support for people with disabilities. This is because: Every child has rights and only those who know their rights can claim them, and recognise and respect the rights of others. When the project is finished, children should understand that all children's rights apply equally and without restriction to every child, regardless of their origin, gender, religion or disability.

Another aim is to develop children's personalities by promoting participation and understanding of democracy. This is intended to lay the foundations for participating in and actively shaping social life.

Together with our partners and providers of open all-day programmes, we make children aware of their rights as set out in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child by reading them age-appropriate books about individual children's rights that have been selected through a participatory process. During the reading session, children are asked for their opinions, which allows them to focus on the individual children's rights and learn about them in a playful way.

For example, the “right to education" can be illustrated with questions like: Does Pippi Longstocking go to school? How does she get to school? What are the differences between the way she and children in other countries get to school? Another right states that children with disabilities should receive special support. How does a child in a wheelchair get to school? Can every child equally enjoy their “right to rest and leisure"? What is wheelchair basketball? The children can learn about this, for example, during a trip to the German Sport & Olympic Museum.

In the current project phase, 10 readers are involved, each covering the weekly reading lessons in rotating teams of two. They are accompanied on site by the educational consultant and a former LeseWelten intern, who consistently assist the children and introduce and support the readers on site. All readers participating in this project have attended two special training sessions on children's rights, organised by our partner jugendstil.nrw. The literature-based educational materials consist of 10 different boxes, each addressing a specific children's right. Each concept includes background information on the children's right being discussed, the book's content and guidance on how to develop the reading lesson from an educational perspective.

Depending on the book and the idea behind the concept, the boxes also contain materials or instructions for games and group activities. After reading the book, these games or activities can be played or practised within the group to collectively reflect on what has been read and learnt, helping to embed it in the children's minds.

At the end of every reading lesson, there is a ritual called the “bye-bye rocket". Everyone stands in a circle, drums on their legs, counts down from ten, and then lets the bye-bye rocket fly with a cheer. It is important to gather the children together at the end of the lesson, concluding it with movement and drumming for fun and with a clear message:  Bye, see you next time, it's been a pleasure to share time with you, thank you for your great ideas. In addition to the weekly reading lessons, excursions are organised every 2-3 months so that the children can integrate all they have learnt about children's rights from the stories in the books into their everyday lives, and relate it to their own experience.

At the end of the 2024/25 school year devoted to children's rights, a big schoolyard festival will be held in July 2025, shortly before summer holidays. At the festival, the children participating in the project will present some of their findings; also external guests will be invited. 

For more information please contact:

LeseWelten, Vorlese-Initiative der Kölner Freiwilligen Agentur e.V. | Clemensstr. 7 | 50676 Köln lesewelten@koeln-freiwillig.de | 0221 888 278 28 oder -13 | www.lesewelten-koeln.de

The Cologne Volunteer Agency is a placement and development agency for civic engagement based in the city of Cologne. Founded in 1997 by committed citizens of Cologne, the Agency pursues numerous innovative projects that continue to foster