To celebrate International Literacy Day 2025, members of Donegal's Regional Adult Literacy Coalition created a series of videos. The videos are all about family learning and will show you ways you can support your child with learning at home. 

Video 1: Reading at home with your child. 

Our first video talks about three ways you can help your child develop good reading habits. 

1: Before you start reading, ask your child what they think the book might be about. Look at the picture on the front and read the title. This helps your child to think about the text before you even start reading. It encourages them to use the pictures and title to make a guess about what it's about.

2: During reading, stop and ask your child what they think might happen next. This helps them to connect with the story, using their own experiences and other stories they know.

3: After reading, ask your child what their favourite part was. This helps them to continue to think about the book after it's finished. This makes reading more memorable and meaningful. 

Try these with your child and see how it goes. 

Video 2: Your local library

Our second video to celebrate International Literacy Day is about a fun way to support your child with their learning. Take them to your local library branch! They have something for every kind of learner, every age, and every interest - and it’s all FREE! Donegal County Library Service is all about stories, play, learning, and connection - whether that’s through sensory play, creative workshops, family events, or our magical Tovertafel (an interactive game table that gets children learning through movement and fun!). Ask your local librarian about all the resources available in your local branch. You can find opening hours for all library branches on their website.  

Video 3:  Colour coding

Our third video to celebrate International Literacy Day is about one way you can help your child settle into secondary school by using colour-coding. For example, if you pick blue as the colour for maths, then anything to do with Maths should be blue. On their timetable, colour maths in blue. Have a blue folder with their maths book, copy book and maths set in it. If using a folder for handouts, use a blue divider for maths. Anything to do with maths should be blue. They will soon remember the colour and know what folder to get from their locker. This ensures they don't forget anything and keep their locker organised. This builds confidence and helps make the move from primary to post-primary a little bit easier.

Video 4: Reading in Irish 

Today's video on family learning is about reading in Irish with your child. A good way to introduce reading in Irish at home is to read a book in Irish that your child knows well in English. Did you know that The Gruffalo has been translated into Irish as An Garbhán? Why not take the opportunity to read a story you already know well at home yourself? Donegal County Library Service have created a glossary or word list to help you out if you don't know a word. There is also a video of the book being read and this gives you the chance to listen to how the words are pronounced, before you read it with your little one. For all the resources mentioned in the video, go to. Don't forget, all of the books with these added resources can be borrowed from your local library. It's free to join! 

Video 5: Building literacy skills at home

In our final video on family learning, Abbey from the Donegal County Childcare Committee talks about how small moments can really add up in supporting the development of literacy skills from an early age. Tips include having books around the home that are available to your child. Having books in the car, it’s a great way for children to flick through the pages. Reading a waterproof book in the bath, it’s a fun space and makes learning fun. Reading a bedtime story, helping your child relax and learn new words. Any time you read, talk or sing with your child, you are helping to build early literacy skills.