10 family learning activities for Family Literacy Day

Family Literacy Day takes place on January 27 – an annual initiative in its 22nd year that aims to raise awareness of the importance of learning together as a family.

This year’s theme is Travel the World Together (not literally of course!). After a year of limited mobility, ABC Life Literacy Canada, the founder of Family Literacy Day, is encouraging families to use their imagination to explore and travel the world from the comfort of their home. Whether it be discovering what’s in your own back yard or researching a faraway place, the opportunities for adventure are endless!

Here are 10 activity ideas for families to Travel the World Together this Family Literacy Day.

1. Go online. Research a country that interests you on the internet with your family. Find out things like the language they speak, their currency, and popular food, music and sports.

2. Flags of the world. Look up colourful flags from different countries and try drawing them together.

3. Ciao! Teach your family how to say hello and goodbye in different languages.

4. Greetings from abroad. Imagine you’re on a vacation and write a postcard to a friend or family member. Describe the weather, what it’s like and what activities you’re doing. 5. Map the world. Look at a blank world map and try to name each continent and ocean. For more of a challenge, try identifying countries or even cities.

6. Family vacation. Research your next family vacation online together, even if you don’t have one planned. Look up how much it will cost to travel there, hotels and activities, and put

together a budget for your trip.

7. Get cookin’! Find a recipe for a popular international dish, such as butter chicken or paella. Follow the recipe together as a family and enjoy the meal you’ve cooked.

8. Family history. Research your family’s history and culture. Learn about your family traditions (how about starting a new one!)

9. Sounds of the world. Go to YouTube as a family and play some popular songs from other countries. Dance and move to different tunes and hum along, trying to guess what the lyrics mean.

10. A to Z. Test your family’s geographic knowledge by trying to name a country for every letter of the alphabet. Hint: there is one for every letter except X.

For more family literacy activity ideas and resources, visit