MENINGKATKAN MINAT BACA PADA ANAK SEKOLAH DASAR MELALUI KEGIATAN STORYTELLING

Abstract

Technological advances are developing rapidly, and elementary school children are more interested in gadgets, resulting in a decline in reading interest. Reading plays an important role in children's intellectual and social development, as well as in shaping character and critical thinking skills. The purpose of community service activities is to raise awareness among the community, especially children, of the importance of reading through storytelling. Storytelling is the activity of telling stories orally in an effective and interesting manner using intonation, facial expressions, and body language. Storytelling activities are provided to elementary school children. Based on the evaluation results, most children enjoyed listening to the stories, felt closer to the characters in the stories, and became curious to read other books and follow the storylines to the end. However, there is currently a limited number of storybooks available in their homes. These limitations motivated participants to visit the library, either to read the same storybook or to look for other interesting reading materials. This shows that storytelling is effective in building children's interest in reading and promoting the role of libraries in the community. As an institution that provides various sources of information, libraries serve as agents of social and educational change in the community, thereby supporting the growth of a culture of literacy among the younger generation.