Outdoor reading challenge for children

Local literacy campaign, Peterborough Reads, which is delivered by the National Literacy Trust in partnership with Peterborough City Council, has launched a series of outdoor trails to keep children active, entertained and learning during the summer.

Throughout lockdown, the Peterborough Reads team has been busy setting challenges for youngsters to keep them occupied and learning.

Now school children are on their summer holidays and lockdown restrictions are easing, the team’s latest challenge invites them and their families to explore the great outdoors.

Every week, Peterborough Reads will upload a new outdoor trail to its website and Facebook page to encourage children to explore outdoors in new ways. From hunting for hidden libraries to recreating the alphabet, little ones will have fun while improving their literacy skills.

Sally Atkinson, Peterborough Reads Manager, said: “These trails are a great way to keep children engaged with literacy and to enjoy the outdoors throughout the summer.

“Our research shows that more children have fallen in love with reading and writing during lockdown and we want to keep up that momentum throughout the summer holidays.

“We’re creating a bit of fun with these trails as well as encouraging families to spend some quality time together - it probably won’t even feel like learning.”

The six weekly trails are free to access and suitable for families with children aged four to seven years. The first trail was announced on Monday and encourages families to hunt for different objects as they stroll around their neighbourhood – chatting about your surroundings and introducing new words can help broaden children’s vocabulary, says the campaign team.

These activities are central to the government’s Hungry Little Minds campaign to help children develop the language skills they need for the best start in life.

Families can download the trails by visiting the Peterborough Reads website www.peterboroughreads.org.uk and those who take part are encouraged to send photos via the Peterborough Reads Facebook page (facebook.com/PeterboroughReads).