Don’t wait for Family Literacy Day to turn your crew into a bundle of bookworms.
That’s the message from the Innisfil ideaLAB and Library, which is hosting several special events in the week prior to Family Literacy Day, which is held annually on Jan. 27. Those include drop-in family storytime and Ready Set School sessions at the Cookstown, Lakeshore and Stroud branches, along with Fun for Ones, Baby Bookworms, My Three and Me and Kid Creators programs.
There’s even a Mario Kart tournament, button making and other activities at Lakeshore on the Jan. 24 PA day.
“We definitely want folks coming out on that week leading up,” children and youth services manager Amy Eastwood said. “The family is the first teacher for a kid. That’s where you’re going to start your learning. A young child is spending the bulk of their time with their family. There are so many opportunities when you’re home or at the park or going for a drive to be building literacy skills.”
For example, she recommends pointing out signs to read on roads, using subtitles on television shows, reading books consistently, making finger plays and developing a home library. And it doesn’t have to be a traditional fictional storybook that piques a child's interest — non-fiction titles and screen-free Yoto audio players are great, too.
“The whole idea is just to encourage families to engage in literacy-focused activities, to get their kids to love literacy,” Eastwood said. “All those things are going to help to build a strong reader. The more of a foundation you’re laying as a family, before your kid goes to school, the more likely they are to have future success as a reader.”
Family Literacy Day takes place every Jan. 27 to raise awareness about the importance of reading and engaging in other literacy-related activities.
Since 1999, schools, libraries, literacy organizations and other community groups across the country have taken part in the initiative, ABC Life Literacy Canada says.
“Taking time every day to read or do a learning activity with children is crucial to a child’s development, improving a child’s literacy skills dramatically, and can help a parent improve their skills as well,” the group says on its website.
This year’s theme is Learn to be Green, Together and it encourages families to make efforts to be more environmentally aware by using less electricity and reusing items.
ABC has a page set up online with resources like activity sheets and tips; it also has a link to sign up for a Jan. 23 virtual demonstration on how to use clay to create a picture, and a calendar of Family Literacy Day-related events.
For more, visit abclifeliteracy.ca. Resources are also available at Innisfil library branches and on innisfilidealab.ca.
