January 27^th is Family Literacy Day in Canada. Family Literacy Day is day in which to celebrate reading.  On this day, families are encouraged to read together, play together, and plan to continue to learn as a family all year long. This special day was created in 1999 by ABC Life Literacy Canada (previously known as ABC CANADA), a charity that researches and promotes literacy in Canada. 

The theme for this year’s Family Literacy Day is “Play for Literacy“. ABC Life Literacy suggests that board games, card games and imaginative self-created games are all great ways to provide new learning opportunities within a fun family activity. The website offers literacy tips, activities and resources to help get parents started!

For some families this day might be more challenging.  It’s often diffcult to focus on the love of reading when you have a child who suffers from a learning difficulty.  When children are having problems grasping concepts of reading and writing, it can become a stressful experience. 

Thank you to our friends at the SickKids Family Knowledge Group and AboutKidsHealth for providing these links;

Reading and Writing Expectations: Identifying a Problem

How to Help with Reading Problems

LITERACY DAY CONTEST WINNER IS CC. WEST (comment #13)!  She wins a copy of THAT`S LIKE ME a PTPA Winning book that celebrates learning differences.  Please emails diane@ptpamedia.com with your mailing address!  Congratulations!

That’s Like Me! is an award winning children’s book for kids who learn differently (LD). Fifteen people are profiled who share their stories of facing academic challenges, as well as finding happiness pursuing a passion or hobby. The book was written to comfort and empower LD kids and those who care for them.

Info for SickKids Family Knowledge Group:

SickKids Family Knowledge Group (SKFKG) is an international volunteer group of parents and caregivers to children from birth to 18 years of age. Members participate in various projects from online surveys, book reviews  and usability tests.  Members share opinions and ideas to help us create better products that are practical and help parents and caregivers feel more confident. We also share tips with members from hospital resources, created by hospital staff.  SKFKG is based at The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.  Are you a caregiver, parent or grandparent to a child with medical or developmental special needs? Sign up to receive valuable resources from the Sick Kids Family Knowledge Group- click here and sign up for their free membership!  www.skfamilyknowledgegroup.ca

Info for AboutKidsHealth:

AboutKidsHealth is the world’s leading non-profit information source for children’s health. Our content is unbiased and evidence-based, is supported through government grants and partnerships that support our mission. AboutKidsHealth was developed in collaboration with over 300 paediatric health specialists. We are now partnering with the leading paediatric hospitals to build a collaboration in children’s health information from coast to coast. www.aboutkidshealth.ca

The new website features:

• 3,000 articles in English with full translation into French and simplified Chinese.
• 200 articles available in Spanish, Arabic, Urdu, and Tamil.
• 12 Resource Centers including:
  • ADHD
  • Asthma
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder
  • Blood and Marrow Transplant
  • Brain Tumors
  • Congenital Heart Conditions
  • Diabetes
  • Epilepsy
  • Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
  • Leukemia
  • Pain
  • Pregnancy & Babies
  • Premature Babies
• Hundreds of general health and interest articles
• Great information and activities for children in  Just for Kids and How the Body Works pages with videos and animations.

 AboutKidsHealth has also created a Facebook page, Facebook AboutKidsHealth, please join the group for regular updates, videos, contests and more!