Family Literacy Friday: Resources and tips for practicing family literacy in your home

November is National Family Literacy Month. Throughout the month, the National Center for Families Learning (NCFL) works to share resources, tips, and success stories in order to equip and inspire families to learn together. These tools are published each Friday throughout the month of November as part of our ‘Family Literacy Friday’ series.

At NCFL, we know that everything takes time, especially family literacy and learning. That’s why we continue to develop resources that meet families where they are. In this blog post, we summarize just a few of the many resources we have created that make learning together easier and more fun than ever before.

Say & Play with Words

Research has shown that by age 3 children from low-income families may be hearing up to 30 million fewer words than those from higher-income families. This lag in vocabulary development puts children at an academic disadvantage before they start their first day of kindergarten. Developed by NCFL and implemented in both Detroit and Louisville, Kentucky, Say & Play with Words provides resources for family members and caregivers to engage with infants and young children through everyday interactions. NCFL’s Say and Play with Words website has a vocabulary building playroom and Word of the Week videos to explore.

National Literacy Directory

Are you or someone you know in need of citizenship classes? Maybe you are seeking your high school equivalency. Created in 2010, the National Literacy Directory has helped connect more than 50,000 potential students and volunteers to literacy services, community education programs, and testing centers. Find a program near you!

Wonderopolis

Wonderopolis reminds us that learning can be more interesting than we’ve ever imagined. This popular education site has seen more than 50 million visitors since its debut in 2010. Each day, a new Wonder of the Day exposes students to a wonder that catalyzes their curiosity while building background knowledge and strengthening critical thinking skills. The recent addition of Microsoft’s Immersive Reader expands content accessibility through a variety of reading assistance features. Check out today’s Wonder of the Day.

Parent Tips

Being a parent is one of life’s most rewarding yet challenging endeavors. NCFL has developed a variety of tips to make raising a little one just a bit easier.

• Students thrive when their parents are involved in their learning world. 10 Tips for Getting Involved in Your Child’s School
• Technology is a growing and ever-evolving part of our world today. As a parent it is important to keep your child both safe and informed through the use of technology in the home. Tips for Teaching with Technology
• Many times, it just seems like there aren’t enough hours in the day to do it all. That’s why NCFL has outlined some quick, simple ways to incorporate learning into everyday life Tips to Make Learning Part of Your Daily Routine

Dive Deeper

From engaging families in children’s reading development to digital resources for family learning, NCFL has developed a variety of webinars in order to help parents and practitioners grow and deepen their knowledge base around family literacy and learning. Explore these webinars.

Providing your child with the proper learning environment and experiences can seem like a difficult and time-consuming endeavor, but utilizing the aforementioned tools can help to create valuable learning opportunities as life unfolds. At NCFL, we invite you to join us this month (and every month) in practicing memorable and rewarding family learning.