Kent County Council’s (KCC) libraries kick off this year’s Summer Reading Challenge, offering a range of free activities for families, from Saturday 6th July.
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.
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.