ABC Life Literacy Canada released national research recently regarding the learning habits of Canadian families. The study, conducted by national research firm Ipsos Reid on behalf of ABC Life Literacy Canada, found that 62% of Canadian parents agree that they don't have as much time as they would like to spend helping their child learn.
Despite the belief and desire to nurture a learning environment at home, with six in 10 Canadian parents indicating that the primary place for a child to learn is in the home, parents are overlooking inherent learning moments in their daily activities, with just three in 10 using daily tasks as key learning opportunities.
"While it's encouraging to see that three in 10 Canadian parents always use grocery shopping, travelling or participation in sport as a learning opportunity, there are still 70% of parents who are missing out on embracing these moments," Margaret Eaton, president of ABC Life Literacy Canada, said in a press release.
"It's easy to use day-to-day tasks as a way to teach children," she said. "When travelling in the car, play word-association games with the letters on licence plates, or when grocery shopping, try to add up the total before the cashier tells you. Learning can happen anywhere."
When it comes to paying bills, for example, more than half survey respondents rarely (27%) or never (28%) use it as an opportunity to teach their children key financial literacy skills. Colours, matching and measurement can be taught while doing the laundry, yet only 19% of parents always use it as such.
Regionally, parents in Quebec and Atlantic Canada spend the most time writing stories with their children, with 22% writing together daily or weekly. Parents in B.C. visit libraries the most, with 49% going at least one a month. The majority of parents in Atlantic Canada, Saskatchewan and Manitoba visit the library less than once a month. When it comes to using a computer as a family, 34% of Atlantic parents do it daily, but that number dips to 20% in Alberta and just 14% in Quebec.
With Family Literacy Day taking place on Jan. 27, ABC Life Literacy Canada says parents have the perfect opportunity to start embracing learning opportunities happening in their daily lives. By downloading the Journey to Learning Passport, families can see how easy and fun it is to share these moments and start learning together.
For more information on Family Literacy Day, including event listings, literacy tips and activities, visit familyliteracyday.ca.
