A new workbook, covering topics such as division, budgeting and fundraising, has been released by ABC Life Literacy Canada’s HSBC Family Literacy First Program.

The workbook, entitled New Neighbours is part of the Numbers & Cents series that focuses on family financial literacy. The workbook is available in English, French and Simplified Chinese.

New Neighbours can be downloaded for free at FamilyLiteracyFirst.ca. The workbook aims to bring parents and children together to practice financial literacy as a family, which has proven to have a positive impact.

HSBC Family Literacy First is a free program to bring parents and children together to practice family literacy.

The more teens talk about finances, the higher their literacy rate

Recent survey results from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development have indicated that teens who talked about finances with their parents, even just once a week, scored 33 points higher in financial literacy than those who did not.

"Talking comfortably about finances is an important part of helping kids develop a healthy relationship with money," says Mack Rogers, executive director of ABC Life Literacy Canada. "We're so happy to have HSBC Bank Canada on board as our partner for this program so that we can further help families acquire the financial literacy skills they need to make sound decisions."

Some 14 workbooks are available for children 6-11

The HSBC Family Literacy First program was created in 2015 to bring together parents and children to have fun while learning as a family. There are 14 workbooks in the program that include more than 80 stories and activities, all of which are written in clear language. The workbooks cover a variety of family literacy activities and are ideal for families with children aged six to 11.

"With families spending more time together these days, this is a perfect time to come together to grow your numeracy and financial literacy skills," says David Kuo, head of branch network, Ontario and an HSBC executive sponsor of ABC Life Literacy. "Money management skills are important for everyone in every stage of their lives. As a volunteer I have seen how engaging and helpful these materials are in building those skills."