Discover fun and meaningful ways to celebrate International Literacy Day with your family or classroom. Get tips, activity ideas, and free resources to promote the joy of reading and literacy for all ages.
International Literacy Day
International Literacy Day is a global observance celebrated every year on September 8th. It was established by UNESCO in 1966 to highlight the importance of literacy as a matter of dignity and human rights, and to advance the literacy agenda toward a more literate and sustainable society.
Here’s what it’s all about:
- Raises awareness about the challenges millions of people still face in reading and writing.
- Celebrates progress made in improving literacy rates worldwide.
- Encourages action by individuals, communities, and governments to support literacy efforts.
Each year, there’s a different theme, often focusing on things like digital learning, inclusive education, or bridging literacy gaps due to inequality or crises.
It’s a great day for schools, libraries, families, and communities to promote reading, share stories, and engage in literacy activities with kids and adults alike.
There are some simple steps we can take to build a literacy foundation at home and provide outreach to others. Here are ours, along with UNESCO.
Here are a few ways to join the celebration…
- Donate books and reading materials to your local school or community center
Our Spin: Consider your pediatrician, eye doctor, or local pediatric hospital too.
- Start a reading club
Our Spin: Join the Virtual Book Club for Kids or your own Love Books Exchange
- Volunteer to teach literacy classes in your community
Our Spin: Sign up to volunteer reading to a class before school or at the end of day.
- Become a mentor to a non-literate person
Our Spin: Ask your child’s teacher if there is a child’s family that may need help with their child learning to read, invite them to a park playdate, and help them with homework and reading with your child too.
How can you celebrate International Literacy Day?
I am so excited to be guest posting about why you should Create Book Related Activities for Children’s Books on Rainy Day Mum, our blogging friend in the UK, especially since it’s International Literacy Day. It’s truly amazing how many people we’ve had the chance to “meet” or at least “read from” through our blog in just a year. Just a quick glance at our visitorsfrom today only and we are have visitors from all over the world.
Take a Peek at our visitors today! September 6!
- United States 2889
- Canada 199
- Australia 71
- United Kingdom 52
- Germany 43
- Russia 40
- India 25
- France 24
- Netherlands 22
- Spain 18
While we’re celebrating International Literacy Day we’re excited to announce that this past month as Pinterest went public we had over 600,000 followers join us on our Reading Board and Bilingual Babies and Geography Board.
We cannot tell you how excited we are able this, if the numbers are accurate (truthfully we’re still questioning it). If those are the two things we share with the world more than anything else that would be a huge goal of both mine and Amanda’s!
Here are links below to our two boards, please check them out.
However, one can’t help but also acknowledge that if we were to chart on the map the rate of literacy there are still some areas that are not being reached. We really want to help support literacy in our world.
“Literacy is a human right, a tool of personal empowerment and a means for social and human development. Educational opportunities depend on literacy.” – UNESCO
Now we invite you to go check our guest post about Why We Create Activities for Books on Rainy Day Mum
You may also enjoy these activities with your child…
