Better Beginnings

Welcome to the October Home Literacy Calendar.

Ready to make literacy part of your everyday routine?

Use this month's Home Literacy Calendar to explore easy ways to read, talk, sing, draw and play together at home, one day at a time.

If your child loved Sausage Went for a Walk, here are some more books to enjoy together.

These stories are full of curious animals, gentle humour and familiar adventures that invite children to notice, wonder and talk about what they see.

What are your favourite books to share together? Tell us your recommendations in the comments.

• A Sausage Went for a Walk by Ellisha Majid and Peter Kendall
• Bob and Dob by Sean E Avery
• Greedy Frog by Gregg Dreise
• The Truck Cat Deborah Frenkel Danny Snell
• My Dog Bigsy by Alison Lester
• The Very Cranky Bear by Nick Bland
• The Cow Tripped Over the Moon by Tony Wilson and Laura Wood

Fremantle Press Sean E Avery Walker Books Australia Scholastic Australia Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing Penguin Books Australia

Celebrate International Talk Like a Pirate Day with a song. March, stomp and sing your way to stronger early literacy skills.

Looking for an easy learning activity? Try sorting toys by colour, shape or type. Playful moments like these help build strong foundations for reading.

Spot the first letter! Read an alphabet book together and look for the first letter of your child's name.

It’s International Literacy Day (ILD).

This year marks the 60th anniversary of International Literacy Day, celebrated under the theme “Literacy for People, the Planet and Prosperity.”

One simple way to support literacy at home is by sharing and reading books with your children.

Let’s explore how to borrow books at your local public library. It’s easier than you think.



State Library of Western Australia City of Belmont, WA Australian Library and Information Association

Word tennis, anyone? Practise serve-and-return with your child. The next thing they ask, elaborate on their question to keep the conversation going. Serve-and-return conversations build language, one conversation at a time

Indigenous Literacy Day 2026!

This year's theme is Country is our Teacher. Discover stories by First Nations authors and illustrators that encourage families to read, talk, learn and connect together.

Indigenous Literacy Day (ILD) is a national celebration of First Nations peoples’ stories, cultures and languages created by The Indigenous Literacy Foundation.

• Animal Bungul: Animal Disco by Yirrkala Bilingual School
• Counting Crocodiles by Bulla School
• Can You Dance? written by Sally Morgan and illustrated by Kathy Arbon
• Country Tells Us When... by Tsheena Cooper, Mary Dann, Dalisa Pigram-Ross and Sheree Ford
• Counting Rockets 1, 2, 3 by Koonibba Youth Hub
• My Walk Through the Seasons on Ngaanyatajarra Country by Daisy Tjuparntarri Ward, Sharon Naparulla Burns, Sandy Robertson and students from Ngaanyatjarra Lands School

Welcome to the September Home Literacy Calendar. Handy tips to help you read, talk, sing, draw and play with your child every day.

Read to Rover. Have a family pet? Invite your child to read a book aloud to them. Pets make great listeners.