Family Literacy Day Focuses On Building Lifelong Bonds And Benefits
By Natalie Clysdale
Taking just a few minutes of your day to read with your children can lead to a lifetime of riches far beyond being able to read.
Family Literacy Day will be held on January 27th.
The day is set aside to raise awareness of the importance of reading and engaging in literacy-related activities as a family.
“Parents who read to their children every day and engage them by interacting in healthy activities immensely enrich the child's or children’s learning for the rest of their life and set them up for success in future areas of their lives such as school, work, and relationships,” said Christine Boyzuk, Co-ordinator at the Moose Jaw Literacy Network.
The national movement originated in 1999 and was created by ABC Life Literacy Canada.
The aim of the day is to highlight family literacy to not only families but individuals, communities, and societies.
Around the world, approximately 775 million adults lack literacy skills; one in five adults is illiterate and two-thirds of them are women.
There are 60.7 million children who are out of school while more attend irregularly or drop out.
There is an evident connection between illiteracy and countries who find themselves in severe poverty.
A family bookcase can often hold titles for every age and subject - MJ Independent photo
This year the Moose Jaw Literacy Network has partnered with the Early Years Family Resource Centre (FRC), Early Childhood Coalition, the Moose Jaw Public Library (MJPL), the Palliser Regional Library, Regional Kids First, the school divisions, and Ministry of Education.
“Learning in the great outdoors is the theme so we are encouraging families to get outside and exercise minds and bodies together as it is important. When we interact with our children there is a great deal of learning and bonding for the child,”
“The featured book in Saskatchewan is called “When The Trees Crackle With Cold” written by Bernice Johnson-Laxdal and illustrated by Miriam Korner.
“The book is a Cree calendar that documents the authors memories of the moon and the Cree Calendar,” tells Boyzuk.
Story Trails will be accessible at the (FRC), (MJPL), Buffalo Pound Provincial Park, downtown businesses, and rural libraries.
Books and literacy-related activities will also be provided FREE of charge.
The importance of reading is self evident, she said.
Taking only fifteen minutes out of a day to read to a child can improve literacy skills significantly while doing the same to the parent.
“I have grandchildren and great-grand-children who absolutely love it when I read to them. I just finished reading a little mystery book that needed to be solved with my grandson, Jett Boyzuk at Christmas and he enjoyed the book so much that he wanted to take it to school with him,” Boyczuk said.
"My parents were avid readers and I remember them making time to spend as a family participating in activities such as baseball, going for walks and engaging in conversations regarding everyday life. In today’s era, it is important to remember to take a break from technology, and spend time doing activities as a family,” she concluded.
All programs sponsored by the Moose Jaw Family Literacy Network are FREE of charge.
If anyone has any questions regarding Family Literacy Day or other literacy activities in the community, they can phone Christine Boyzuk at (306)-693-0609.