Family Literacy Day
Family Literacy Day, celebrated annually on January 27th, is dedicated to encouraging families to engage in literacy-related activities together. This day aims to raise awareness about the importance of reading and learning as a family, fostering a love for books and storytelling from an early age.
In 2026, Family Literacy Day embraces the theme “Make Mealtime Family Learning Time,” encouraging families to transform their daily meals into opportunities for shared learning and bonding. This theme highlights the potential of mealtime as a unique setting for family learning experiences. It encourages parents and caregivers to use mealtime as a space for storytelling, conversation, and exploration, making learning a natural part of their child’s day.
To celebrate Family Literacy Day, try the following activities:
- Story Soup: Create a “story soup” where each family member contributes
a different ingredient and a word or phrase that they associate with it. As you prepare the meal, weave these words into a fun, collaborative story
that unfolds as the cooking progresses. - Alphabet Picnic: During a meal, introduce an alphabet theme by focusing on foods that start with specific letters. Encourage your child to identify the letter and sound associated with each food item, making the meal both delicious and educational.
- Recipe Rhymes: Turn cooking instructions into a rhyming game. Recite each step of the recipe as a rhyme, and invite your child to repeat the rhymes or come up with their own. This playful approach not only enhances language skills but also makes following directions more engaging.
- Colourful Conversations: Use colourful plates and utensils to stimulate discussions about colours during meals. Encourage your child to name the colours they see and talk about their favorite colours or objects of the same hue, building
vocabulary. - Tabletop Tales: Transform the dining table into a storytelling stage. Use toys,
utensils, or food items to act out simple stories or fairy tales, allowing your child to participate in the storytelling by assigning them roles or letting them choose the direction of the story.
By integrating these activities into mealtime, families can enjoy the benefits of nurturing literacy skills while sharing a meal together.
