The largest national family literacy initiative, Family Literacy Day, is scheduled for Jan. 27 this year. Families and communities from across Canada will participate in this day by taking part in literacy-themed activities organized by schools, libraries, community organizations and by families themselves.
So what is Family Literacy Day and what types of activities does it include? According to the ABC Life Literacy Canada, "Family literacy programs focus on parents as the means to improve the reading and writing skills of all family members. By reading to children and engaging in fun literacy activities, parents are actively keeping their own skills sharp, while at the same time strengthening the relationship between the family which, in turn, encourages lifelong learning."
Seventy-four percent of Canadians who graduate from high school have strong literacy skills. While the percentage may sound good, it leaves a whopping 26 percent of graduates who, in general, have lower literacy skills.
These Canadian-wide statistics can be seen locally as well. The Understanding the Early Years study, presented in Carlyle on Dec. 8 by Amanda Dunbar, outlined the results of a multi-year study that took place throughout the region.
Within this study, was an assessment of the language and cognitive development skills of our young children. This assessment measured the basic knowledge of ABC's and 123's for those children entering Kindergarten. The findings? Disappointing.
In southeast Saskatchewan, 12 percent of children were 'not ready' for school in terms of their knowledge of basic literacy. Specific to the Carlyle region - which included the communities of Carlyle, Arcola, Stoughton, Manor, Forget, Heward, Kenosee Lake and Kisbey - a whopping 33 percent of children were 'not ready' for school in terms of their basic literacy skills.
Needless to say, the number of children entering Kindergarten with 'advanced literacy' skills was substantially lower. In fact, 24 percent of children in southeast Saskatchewan were 'not ready' for school. Locally, more than 37 percent of children were 'not ready' for school in terms of their advanced literacy skills.
The fact of the matter is, improving literacy skills takes no time at all in the grand scheme of things. A mere 15 minutes of reading every day, writing, playing a game, following a recipe or singing a song can help improve a child's literacy skills.
ABC Life Literacy Canada offers 10 easy ways to make literacy a part of your family's life on their website.
"When making your grocery list, have your child write out the items you need to buy.
At the store, ask your child to count out the money to make the purchase.
Make it a habit to always read a story together at bedtime.
When cooking dinner, involve your children in measuring the ingredients. This helps them understand fractions and measurements.
Driving is the perfect opportunity to practice literacy. Read signs, billboards and licence plates together, and show your children the proper way to read a map.
While on the Internet, make time to research something new that your family is interested in. Researching skills are important and help with reading and comprehension.
In the car, sing along to songs on the radio. Singing encourages learning patterns of words, rhymes and rhythms, and is strongly connected to language skills.
When playing a board game, read the instructions aloud to each other or count how many spaces to travel around the board.
Involve your kids when you pay bills. This will teach them strong financial skills early on in life.
Children follow by example, so ensure reading is part of your daily life too."
And mostly, remember that learning can happen anywhere. Whether you are at home, at their grandparents, at the grocery store or at the rink, the opportunities are endless. All you have to do is notice them and put them to good use. And on Jan. 27, don't forget to make a literacy activity a part of your family's day.
