Guest post by Ashley Tilley of ABC Life Literacy Canada, who’s just full of spooky literacy tips.

Halloween isn’t just about dressing up and eating candy – it also provides fun opportunities to learn! Embracing the literacy activities already happening in your life makes it so much easier to ensure your family is getting 15 minutes of learning experiences a day. ABC Life Literacy Canada reminds families to practice literacy skills at Halloween with some fun literacy tips, tricks and treats.

Spooky Literacy Tips

1. Tell ghost stories on Halloween night. Make up your own stories or read a classic scary book together.
2. Organize Halloween candy in different ways. Organize by shape, size, candy name, or even candy type, and then trade! This activity helps to reinforce basic math along with association and matching skills.
3. Bake a pumpkin pie. Following recipes is a great way to improve both reading and math skills. Children can read the instructions out loud to help measure the ingredients when making a treat for the family.
4. Research the history of Halloween, and share spooky statistics!
5. Embrace the Power of Reading. Together, you and your child can create your own Halloween-themed e-book with Energizer’s Power of Reading program. Visit promotions.energizer.ca/powerofreading to access the one-of-kind story builder and watch your story unfold.

Literacy benefits the entire family and is constantly happening in our daily lives. From writing a grocery list to surfing the internet to reading the newspaper, learning happens in many ways all year round. Take the learning journey and celebrate Family Literacy Day® on January 27, 2012. For more information, visit www.FamilyLiteracyDay.ca.

What are your favourite ways to learn and increase literacy with your children at Halloween and all year round? Leave us a reply and share your tips.