The reading initiative was an early literacy event designed to encourage children between the ages of 0-5 to read, talk, sing and rhyme in a celebration of the written word.

The Paint the Town REaD  program aims to introduce families to the idea of getting children involved in reading books at the earliest age possible to stimulate the child’s imagination and creativity, while also preparing them for their future.

Paint Shellharbour REaD committee member, Wendy Lander said many families didn’t know they could start their child reading from as young as four months old.

“Brain research has shown when children are between the ages of 0-3 there is a critical window of opportunity for them to gain that information,” she said.

“Children learn from their parents, they learn from their eyes and their mouth and simply turning the pages and showing how to hold a book teaches them about reading.

“Today we are promoting the program of Paint the Town REaD in the school holidays and have invited people to come and get involved.”

The children also participated in an interactive activity whereby they help create a mascot for the program that represents “reading, talking, singing and rhyming” which would be the face of the Paint the Town REaD initiative.

Children can enter their ideas until the competition closes on November 6.