It’s Family Literacy Day on January 27, and this year’s theme is “Sing for Literacy.” That’s right: raising a good reader has more to it than reading books to your child. There are many different activities that help literacy: word games, writing, and singing. Singing helps your child practice literacy skills because it encourages vocabulary and helps kids with sounding out aloud when they start reading.

Helping your child develop literacy skills is not just about sitting down with a good book each evening before bed. Anyone who has a young child knows that getting your child to read is not always easy. However, there are a number of ways that you can encourage young readers with fun activities that will keep them interested and entertained.

January 27 is Family Literacy Day. To celebrate, I’ll be publishing our readers’ top 100 picks for your family’s library. We’ll be giving away a $20 gift card to Chapters / Indigo to a VancouverMom.ca reader. To enter, simply comment below. Your comment must include your top five picks, the age of the child you think would enjoy the book, as well as a quick blurb explaining why you’re recommending it.