Family Literacy Day is a national event held in communities across the country to celebrate the importance of reading and engaging in other literacy-related activities as a family.
Maple Ridge takes this one step further with its annual community event at Maple Ridge Public Library on Saturday, Jan. 27, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
A festival-like atmosphere and lots of fun and interactive activities make this a must-attend occasion on the annual family calendar. Showstoppers Academy will be on hand to sing throughout the library, while a Family Dance Party will get everyone moving.
Central to this event is a community resource fair that takes the concept of literacy to the next level, highlighting traditional forms of literacy but also underappreciated forms like physical literacy, health literacy, financial literacy and art literacy and the importance of community connections in general to help us all lead happy, healthy and well-rounded lives.
Grab some free popcorn and your Family Literacy Day passport, and stroll through the event, taking part in the children’s and adult activities set up at each table and collecting stamps in your passport. Then hand in your completed passport for a chance to win cool prizes. In the process, you will visit staff from organizations like Maple Ridge Parks, Recreation & Culture, The ACT, SD42 Strong Start, Community Services, WildBC, the Maple Ridge Historical Society, the Community Literacy Committee and many more.
Parents with new babies can visit the Maple Ridge Public Library table to pick up a free copy of the baby board book, Lots of Kisses, by Lorna Crozier, and a musical CD by renowned children’s performer Kathy Reid-Naiman. By providing a free book and CD to all parents of new babies in the City of Maple Ridge, the library encourages parents and caregivers to share books, stories and songs with children from a very young age to develop early literacy skills and help set the foundation for a lifetime love of reading.
If the Family Literacy Day celebration inspires you to learn more about how to encourage the enjoyment of reading in children, consider attending the upcoming program, Raising Kids Who Love to Read – Parent Workshop, at Maple Ridge Public Library on Tuesday, Feb 27, 7-8 pm. Learn early literacy tips and techniques to support emergent readers in a way that is positive and low-stress.
For more information about Family Literacy Day or other library programs, contact Maple Ridge Public Library at 604-467-7417 or check out our events information online under Events at www.fvrl.ca.
By Liza Morris is a librarian at Maple Ridge Public Library.