Family Literacy Day is celebrated each year throughout Canada. Literacy starts with the family. Experts say parents can help their children to learn by taking advantage of everyday activities.
Brian Hynes and his father Brian Bennett cut a cake made especially for Family Literacy Day in Stephenville.
The Bay St. George Literacy Council welcomed everyone to the celebration of the Family Literacy Day on January 28 at the Stephenville Plaza.
“We encompass the whole family because it’s a good way to get books into the home,” said Beverley Hulan, public relations officer of the Council.
This year Family Literacy Day in Stephenville was focused on children.
“All 364 days of the year are for adults,” Hulan said. “Not that we ignore the adults today – we have some candies for the adults. They won’t be offended.”
And they were not. Everyone, from children to grandparents, had a chance to taste cake, get candies and receive literacy games. Children also could pick up their favourite book.
Brian Bennett and his son Brian Hynes had the honour of cutting the cake made especially for this day. Bennett says he spends as much time as possible with his son helping him with learning.
“When I get home from work, we go through his work, spelling and all that stuff,” said Bennett.
He is sure parents should spend more time with their children.
“What they don’t get at school, they’ll get at home,” said Bennett.
Hulan shares Bennett’s opinion.
“Even if the parents are working with them (children) at the kitchen table with their homework, they need the inspiration and the encouragement and belief they can do it,” Hulan said. “That gets a lot of children through. It’s inspiring your children, teaching them – not (only) teaching but showing them a way.”
The idea of celebrating Family Literacy Day came from ABC Life Literacy Canada, a non-profit national organization with headquarters in Toronto.
“We use Family Literacy Day as a way to connect the adults with their children,” said Nadia Flaim, acting communications manager of the organization. “I think we understand that parents are a child’s first teacher, and if parents have the confidence in their literacy skills, then they can provide it to their child as well.”
Last year, 300,000 Canadians participated in the celebration of the Family Literacy Day. Flaim said ABC Life Literacy Canada doesn’t have any data about the number of people participating in the celebration this year because a lot of activities are still happening across Canada.
Flaim said there are approximately nine million Canadians between the age of 16 to 65 who struggle with their literacy.
Flaim emphasizes the importance of helping your children learn from the early age. She suggests parents should deviate from the perspective of ‘You have to do homework’ to using everyday activities as learning moments.
“For instance, if you have to do laundry, why not engage with your children and have them sort the laundry by colours? That can teach them colours,” said Flaim. “Have them help you count the socks. That works on their numeracy and number skills.”
Flaim thinks going to the grocery store with your child can be educational.
“Start with the alphabet and you ask your child, ‘Find something in the store’,” said Flaim. “Let’s pick a grocery item in the store that starts with every letter of the alphabet. So you can start A for apples, B can be for bananas, C can be for cotton balls or something like that.”
Flaim believes parents should turn learning that can be less exciting into activities that might be interesting to children.
“We all know that the homework time is a little bit less exciting,” said Flaim. “Those are all learning opportunities that don’t feel like homework. They (children) don’t feel that they are learning necessarily, but they(children and parents) are doing it together in a fun way.”
