YMCA BC Family Literacy Week
January 26-30
Welcome to YMCA BC Family Literacy Week, where stories, play and mealtime bring families together.
Celebrate YMCA BC Family Literacy Week together with us! Explore our online content to ignite ideas, spark creativity, and most of all, have fun as a family by engaging in literacy activities that best meet your interests and age!
How it works! Each day choose an activity from each literacy area to participate in together as a family! Whether you choose to pick up a book, play a game, or prepare a snack, these are moments that can ignite your learning together as a family.
1. nutrition and food literacy;
2. physical literacy; and
3. reading and writing;
And when you’re done, be sure to colour it in on the progress tracker.
Don’t forget to sign up to be eligable to win a Y Roary Bear Magnet for each child in your family.
As a charity, YMCA BC works hard to help bring our transformative programs to those who can’t afford them - ensuring every family has access to the support they need through the Y - to build literacy skills, and to belong, connect and thrive.
If you’re able, please consider donating today! The first 25 donations of $150+ will receive a Roary Bear stuffie!
The Different Types of Literacy
Nutrition and Food Literacy: Preparing a meal is a fun (and tasty) way for families to learn together. Y@HOME+ has launched the Family Friendly: Cheap and Easy Eats meal plan perfect for a busy family with kid-friendly recipes! Use this meal plan and recipes for teachable moments and have your family design a menu, or write down a shopping list based on their chosen recipes.
Physical Literacy: Physical literacy refers to the development of the knowledge, skills, and attitudes a child needs to enable them to participate in a wide variety of activities throughout their life. Get moving with simple, fun physical literacy activities to help your child thrive from babyhood to age 12.
Reading and Writing: While story time may just seem like a fun part of childhood, this form of literacy is crucial in helping children understand and communicate what it is that they’re hearing or reading, as well as being able to express themselves through writing and storytelling. Explore our read-a-longs and sing-a-longs on Y@HOME!
Day 1 - Cooking with Bear
By Deborah Hodge, and illustrated by Lisa Cinar. Narrated by Nimmy Mann, Team Lead, Early Childhood & Family Development, YMCA BC
Deborah Hodge is the author of more than thirty-five books for children, including Cooking with Bear, which features both a short story and recipe book. She specializes in writing about nature and ecology for young readers and loves the challenge of using few words to explain big thoughts. She also enjoys writing picture books and is delighted by the interplay between art and text. Her daughter, Helen Hodge is a beloved YMCA BC Child Care Manager.
YGym: Can You Act Like a Bear?
Day 2 - Hop, Hop, Hop
By Sara Moffatt, and illustrated by Christina Tarsitano. Narrated by Sophia Jyoti, Early Childhood Educator, YMCA BC
Sara is a mom of two, and an Ontario certified teacher with a Doctoral degree in leadership and policy. Her expertise in early learning and language acquisition shines through in her work, and her books are written and designed to naturally encourage both receptive and expressive language while fostering child engagement. Hop, Hop Hop features an easy rhyming story to help children learn and recognize different sounds.
YGym: Little Steps, Big Steps; Little Hops, Big Hops
Day 3 - Dim Sum Buddies
By Wendy Mok, and illustrated by Yanivan Studio. Narrated by Wendy Mok, Author & YMCA BC Child Care Parent
Wendy Mok is the creator of Dim Sum Buddies, a children’s coloring and activity book inspired by family mealtimes. She is connected to the YMCA as a parent, with her son participating in YMCA programs. Growing up, dim sum was always family time — sometimes small gatherings, sometimes huge ones, where kids and adults connected, laughed, and sometimes worked together on coloring or activity books. To her, literacy is about connecting with people, understanding the world, and learning through everyday moments — especially around the table.
YGym: Alphabet Aerobics Part 1
Day 4 - And Off You Go
By Lupita Rios Dominguez, and illustrated by Olga Sall. Narrated by Ana Paula Rojas, Community Development and Project Lead, Newcomer Services, YMCA BC
Originally from Mexico, Lupita is a teacher and a Behavioural Interventionists who immigrated to Canada several years ago. Along her journey in both Mexico and Canada, she has worked and volunteered with diverse communities, including families navigating immigration processes, inner-city families, and children with neurodiverse needs. Lupita’s work includes a variety of literary genres and her debut picture book, ...And Off You Go! was self-published in 2024. Read her interview and learn more about her work and experience.
YGym: You are a Superhero!
Day 5 - Mina’s Lunch
By Stephanie Shieh, and illustrated by Kirsten Hepburn. Narrated by Stephanie Shieh, Author and Y Supporter
Stephanie wrote Mina’s Lunch to share the story of her childhood. The term microaggression did not exist then, and only as an adult did she realize these unintended slights were a form of racism. She hopes Mina’s lunch inspires children to develop a strong sense of identity, and understand and respect the nuances of the variety of ethnic cultures that make up Canada. Stephanie works as a registered nurse, and loves spending time with her family – her two children, a beagle, and her loving partner – in the outdoors, as well as eating good food and gardening. Her mother in law is the passionate leader of the Zumbini program at the Bettie Allard YMCA.
YGym: Alphabet Aerobics Part 2
About Y@HOME+
Y@ HOME+ is YMCA BC’s virtual platform connecting you with your favourite programs, activities and instructors, anytime, anywhere. A Y@HOME+ membership includes monthly challenges, exclusive on demand workouts, and healthy meal plans. If you’re a part of a YMCA BC program (e.g., child care, employment, newcomer services, or fitness program) you can get access to Y@HOME+ for FREE!
Simply create your account, then at the checkout, remember to use the discount code provided (if you weren’t given a code, please email us and let us know which program you’re a part of and we’ll get you started). If you need any help, feel free to contact us at YMCAatHome.Support@bc.ymca.ca
As a charity, YMCA BC works hard to bring our transformative programs to those who can’t afford them – ensuring every family has access to the support they need through the Y. If you’re able, consider donating to support another family's ability to belong, connect and thrive.