Family Literacy Day celebrated
Organizers of Family Literacy Day activities in the Southwest are hoping that families continue to be advocates for literacy in their homes year around.
The Southwest Literacy Committee held a successful Family Literacy Day on Monday, January 27, hosting four readings at the Swift Current Branch Library, and assisting in a proclamation at Swift Current City Hall of Family Literacy Week during January 26 to February 1.
This year’s theme of Family Literacy Day is Take 20 in 2020, with people invited to take 20 minutes every day to do a learning activity together as a family.
“The family is a child’s first teacher, and the profound influence that the family has on a child’s literacy. It is widely recognized that parents teach children their first language skills. A child’s physical, social and cognitive development takes place in the family through activities like playing, reading, listening, talking, singing, story telling and drawing. We encourage parents to engage their children in fun learning activities at an early age to set the stage for reading books and having an enjoyable experience. So take 20 in 2020,” explained Tekeyla Friday from the Swift Current Branch Library.
Bula Ghosh, English language training coordinator at Great Plains College and Southwest Literacy Committee said there are many benefits of literacy in the home.
“According to the Kids and Family Reading Report Scholastic 2017, parents reading habits bare a large roll in determining how often kids will ready. Fifty seven per cent of kids are frequent readers because of their parents it has been found read five to seven days a week. On the other hand, 15 per cent of children are infrequent readers because their parents don’t have that habit of reading that often. So it is very important that we recognize how parents influence children, and particularly with their literacy skills,” Ghosh said in a presentation to Swift Current City Council.