Coronavirus: Free online reading and writing zone for Peterborough youngsters

The charity, which runs Peterborough Reads in partnership with Peterborough City Council to inspire families across the city to read together, has created Family Zone (literacyfamilyzone.org.uk) – a one-stop shop for families which brings together some of the UK’s best literacy resources and activities in one place.

Drawing on the charity’s expertise and partnerships with teachers, authors, publishers, educational organisations and corporates, local families can access engaging reading and writing activities, book lists, videos, audiobooks, competitions and reading challenges, curated for early years to early teens.

New activities and resources will be added regularly over the coming weeks and months.

Resources and activities for families to enjoy together at home include:

. Simple and fun Small Talk videos to help parents chat, play and read with their young child

. Top tips for enjoying audiobooks as a family

. A guide to building a reading den at home

. A Reading Miles Global Challenge to encourage children to read around the world

. Activity sheets based on popular children’s books, including Where’s Wally?, as well as playful learning activities featuring much-loved CBeebies characters

. Exciting author videos, including live stories with author Steve Antony, draw-along sessions with illustrator Rob Biddulph and poetry workshops with Sarah Crossan.

Sally Atkinson, Peterborough Reads manager, said: “We’ve brought all these resources together because we want to equip parents in Peterborough with activities to engage their child at home, whilst also supporting their literacy development during these unprecedented times. We hope the Family Zone has something for everyone, with content currently on there for children aged 0-12 and plenty of new exciting resources to come.”