As a mother of 3 and a former teacher, literacy learning has been a big part of our family and my career. I’m familiar with how important it is for a parent to engage and read with their children. Still, I would sometimes wonder how to build their language and literacy skills. There are only so many times you can sing “Paddy Cake” with your children before you both get bored. Where did I turn to find activities? Pinterest, of course. If you are not familiar with Pinterest, you can search a topic of interest and find a multitude of ideas. I would sort through numerous Pinterest boards searching for literacy learning activities, but it takes a lot of time.
Wouldn’t it be great if there was an app that provided us with some of the best ideas to help our kids gain literacy skills, so we could easily find what we wanted? There is! The Flit app by the Centre for Family Literacy is not just another literacy app to put in front of your kids. This app is for us, the parents and caregivers of children from birth to 5 years. The Flit (Families Learning and Interacting Together) app offers a curated resource of now over 120 of the best activities to do with your children to boost and build key literacy skills.
HOW ELSE CAN THIS APP HELP YOU AS A PARENT?
- Imagine you are sitting in a restaurant that doesn’t have any activities to keep children busy. Yikes! You could easily open this app and choose an activity to help you occupy your children before their food arrives.
- Kids are at home for their day off from school and you’re not sure what to do with them to pass the day. Take a peek at the app for ideas to get your day moving.
- You can’t make it to the Rhymes that Bind family literacy program today because your toddler is sick. You can open the app and do the activities in your own home until you can make it back to the group.
- It gives you an opportunity to engage with your children in a meaningful way.
The app will also benefit: parents, grandparents, babysitters, nannies, day home providers, preschool teachers, and early learning professionals. Watch the short video to see how it works:  First, scroll across the top to choose from 8 categories: Books, Rhymes, Games, Crafts, Writing, Numbers, Cooking, or Reading.
Once you choose a category, you will see the activities in that category. Simply choose an activity and you will be taken to that activity screen. For example:
Once you click on an activity you will be taken to that activity screen.
There you will find:
- What you need
- What to do
- How to do it together with your child
At the end of each activity you will find:
- What concepts can be learned from the activity
- Additional resources or ideas
- Related activities
You can also heart favourite activities for use another time or share your activity with family and friends on Facebook.
To get over 125 of the best activities to do with your children to boost and build key literacy skills from birth to 5 years, download the Centre for Family Literacy’s FREE Flit app (Families Learning and Interacting Together).