Running over the whole of the summer holidays children aged 4-11 can visit any of our libraries to join the 'Marvellous Makers' Summer Reading Challenge, firing up their imaginations through the power of reading and creative expression.
In partnership with Create, a leading arts charity, and public libraries, this year's Challenge celebrates kids' creativity and storytelling abilities. Children will be encouraged to explore new books and stories while taking part in free activities, arts and crafts and much more.
Meet the Marvellous Makers and take part in the 2024 Summer Reading Challenge which runs from 6 July to 7 September.
The bespoke challenge artwork is illustrated by celebrated artist Natelle Quek, bringing the 'Marvellous Makers' theme vibrantly to life. By reading books and collecting incentives, young readers can foster their creative thinking skills over the summer break.
With a variety of in-person events and activities running throughout Kent libraries to inspire and motivate young readers over the summer. Including a special event for every district - Jo & The Crafty Cart will be a new immersive crafting experience for families and children. The experience will be a hybrid of performance and craft workshop, encouraging audiences to imagine, create and enjoy art in a fun and inclusive way. Natelle Quek will also be delivering free draw along workshops to inspire our next generation of budding artists.
Kent libraries have a marvellous summer of free events and activities lined up for families and children. To find out what’s happening in your local area, pop in and have a chat with a member of the library team, or alternatively visit bit.ly/MarvellousMakers2024 to discover the brilliant family activities on offer.
The Summer Reading Challenge aims to prevent the "summer dip" learning loss many children experience over the holidays when they aren't in school. With libraries' support, it provides a free, fun way to keep young minds active and ensures they go back to school as prepared as possible. In 2023, more than 18,000 youngsters took part in the challenge, joining over 685,000 children across the UK.
“Our libraries will be embracing all the fun of summer and teams across the county have been busy preparing a great programme of activities...”
KCC’s Cabinet Member for Community and Regulatory Services, Clair Bell, said: “The summer reading challenge is a real highlight of the year and encourages young children to develop their imagination and create a love of reading.
“Our libraries will be embracing all the fun of summer and teams across the county have been busy preparing a great programme of activities and are looking forward to welcoming youngsters to take up the challenge, while creating amazing arts and crafts.”
Karen Napier, CEO of The Reading Agency, said: "The Summer Reading Challenge sparks children's creativity and imagination through reading. Developed with Create, this year's 'Marvellous Makers' theme will inspire kids' inner storytellers and makers. We're thrilled to work with libraries to provide an engaging environment for exploring new ideas through books and activities."
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Notes to editors
About The Summer Reading Challenge
The Summer Reading Challenge has been running since 1999 and helps to prevent the summer reading ‘dip’ that many young people experience during their summer holidays while schools are closed. With delivery through public libraries, the Summer Reading Challenge is accessible to all and provides a fun, free activity for children. In 2023, the Summer Reading Challenge reached 685,821 children and families across the UK, with 635,115 children taking part through their local library service. The Challenge also drove 133,697 new children’s library memberships which is 42% higher than the 2019 pre-pandemic total.
About The Reading Agency
The Reading Agency is a UK charity with a mission to empower people of all ages to read. Evidence shows that reading improves health and wellbeing, life chances and social connections. The Reading Agency champions access to the proven power of reading by providing activities for all ages. Working with public libraries, prisons, hospitals and other community settings, we reach over two million people a year. But with a UK population of over 67 million that's not nearly enough. We want to get more people fired up about reading because everything changes when you read.
About Create
Create is a multi-award-winning charity empowering lives, reducing isolation and enhancing wellbeing through the creative arts. Since it was established in 2003, the charity has been guided by the knowledge that people need to create. A national charity that champions local priorities, Create partners with local community organisations to run high-quality creative projects for their service users. Spanning 16 different artforms, these projects are led by professional artists who deliver visual arts to filmmaking, jewellery-making to music, and most recently, circus arts!
createarts.org.uk | @createcharity
