Children's programmes from The Reading Agency
The Summer Reading Challenge
The Summer Reading Challenge, delivered in partnership with public libraries, encourages children aged 4 to 11 to enjoy the benefits of reading for pleasure over the summer holidays, providing lots of fun as well as helping to prevent the summer reading ‘dip’. Each year the Challenge motivates over 700,000 children to keep reading to build their skills and confidence.
This year’s Summer Reading Challenge theme is Wild World Heroes, created in partnership with WWF. Wild World Heroes will inspire children to explore ways of helping to save the planet, with a focus on taking action for nature and tackling real-world environmental issues, from plastic pollution and deforestation to wildlife decline and nature loss.
The World Wild Heroes 2021 Challenge features bespoke artwork from award-winning children’s author and illustrator Heath McKenzie.
The Summer Reading Challenge website is free to access and features games, quizzes and downloadable activities that incentivise and encourage children to take part in reading related activities. The Challenge launched in libraries in Scotland and Northern Ireland on Saturday 19 June and starts in libraries across England and Wales on Saturday 10 July. Children can also join in the fun online on the official Challenge website.
The Summer Reading Challenge School Zone
In the Summer Reading Challenge School Zone you can find information to support taking part in the Summer Reading Challenge, with resources to inspire all your students to read for pleasure.
Find out more about reading charity, The Reading Agency and their other programmes on their website.
The Reading Agency also has a Summer Reading Challenge profile with plenty of resources to access on the TES website and the BBC Teach website websites. Just pop over and search the Summer Reading Challenge.
Chatterbooks
Chatterbooks started in 2001 and is now the UK’s largest network of children’s reading groups. We estimate that almost 9,000 children belong to Chatterbooks groups, which are run in libraries and schools to generate discussion and encourage children to enjoy reading. To browse hundreds of resources for children, head to the Chatterbooks resources page. You can also apply to take part in lots of exciting offers and opportunities from our publishing partners, including reading and reviewing sets of books and competitions here.
Reading Sparks
Reading Sparks is a new project to engage children and families with science through reading from The Reading Agency. The project is funded by Arts Council England and Science and Technology Facilities Council and delivered in partnership with public libraries, the British Science Association, and NUSTEM at the University of Northumbria.
Reading Sparks will harness the proven power of reading to engage families with STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and bridge the gap in science capital for families from lower socio-economic groups, teenage girls and BAME communities. We are working with 11 library services across England who support some of the most disadvantaged communities in the country to pilot reading and science activities. The pilot project will run from 2021-23. For further information visit our website or get in touch
The Winter Mini Challenge for children
The Winter Mini Challenge encourages children to keep reading through the winter holidays.
The Winter Mini Challenge is run through the Summer Reading Challenge children’s website. To take part, children simply read three books of their choice over the winter period, then add each book to their Challenge website profile and leave a short book review.
After rating and reviewing three books online they unlock a virtual badge and certificate to print off and keep!
Reading Well for Children and Young People
Reading Well for children provides quality-assured information, stories and advice to support children’s mental health and wellbeing. Books have been chosen and recommended by leading health professionals and co-produced with children and families. The booklist is targeted at children in Key Stage 2 (aged 7-11), but includes titles aimed at a wide range of reading levels to support less confident readers, and to encourage children to read together with their siblings and carers.
Discover the official Reading Well for Children booklist here.
Reading Well for young people recommends expert endorsed books about mental health, providing 13 to 18 year olds with advice and information about issues like anxiety, stress and OCD, and difficult experiences like bullying and exams. The books have all been recommended by young people and health professionals, and are available to borrow for free from public libraries.
Discover the official Young People’s Reading Well booklist here.