Tell us how you push literacy at home

Because children learn by example, the best way for parents to raise readers is to be role models.

“When you are reading, then kids can see what reading looks like — it really is a family activity,” says Nancy MacKenzie, manager of community engagement and programming with the Regina Public Library.

She suggests surrounding your child with reading opportunities.

“Children who come from print-rich homes are often times better readers than kids who have no books in the home,” MacKenzie says.

Not all families can afford reading material, but everyone can curl up with a book at home if they visit one of Regina’s nine public library branches.

The library provides “a revolving personal collection of books,” MacKenzie says.

Other ways to teach early literacy skills include singing songs and reciting rhymes and talking about the activities around them to increase their vocabulary and understand their environment, she says.

Raise-A-Reader runs from Thursday to Sept. 29. During the week, the Leader-Post will be raising money to support family literacy programs in southern Saskatchewan.

Reading and writing makes a huge difference in a child’s life, but literacy is so much more, and we want to hear your innovative ideas for encouraging your child’s literacy skills and we’ll share the best ones with our readers.

Email your ideas to contests@leaderpost.com by Sept. 29 and you will be entered to win one of two prizes: a $50 Chapters gift card or a bag of books.

Winners will be selected by random draw and notified by email.