Primary Times - the definitive what’s on and where to go family guide of activities and events for children of primary school age. Things to do with your kids during the school holidays including arts and craft activities, music and theatre for children, parties, competitions, days out, and family attractions along with term time drama schools, dance classes, after school clubs and sports activities. Things to do at a place near you!
Reading, the core of the Summer holidays
There are those of us who look forward with unadulterated joy to the Summer holidays. And there are those of us who don’t. Our little darlings are free from the confines of school for six weeks. Six weeks can seem like a very long time – but it goes all too quickly.
And how do you prevent your child’s reading sliding backwards over the holidays? Ensuring that their reading momentum is maintained ready for the next academic year is essential. Are there ways you can encourage and inspire your child to keep reading? Maintaining your reading time with them is a must. What about reading a book in bed with them in the morning?
An excellent way to encourage reading is the Summer Reading Challenge. This takes place every year during the summer holidays - sign up your child at your local library. They then read six library books of their choice to complete the Challenge. There are rewards every time a book is finished and a certificate for everyone who completes the challenge. Go to summerreadingchallenge.org.uk for more information.
Another idea is to read with your child a book whose plot is set near where you live and then to visit that location, bringing the book to life. In London there are many, many places central to the plots of children’s books of all ages. For example, a visit to Kensington Gardens links to ‘Peter Pan’ by J M Barrie and then you could go on to see Kensington Palace where Queen Victoria was born and spent her childhood. Lucy Worsley has written a book about this time called, ‘My Name is Victoria’, which tells the story of Victoria Conroy, childhood companion to the young Princess Victoria.
A visit to the London Eye could be combined with reading Siobhan Dowd’s ‘The London Eye Mystery’. It’s worth a visit to Paddington Station to see where author Michael Bond’s Paddington Bear arrived. Also, for fans of the Harry Potter books by J K Rowling, why not visit Platform 9 ¾ at King’s Cross?
To ring the changes, museums and galleries, such as the Victoria and Albert, Natural History, Science museums and the National Portrait Gallery run events throughout the summer which will appeal to all ages.
There are also many day summer camps offered for children which are a boon for those parents who are at home and for those who are not. There are many on offer throughout London offering a variety of activities and challenges and these are well worth exploring.
But maintaining your child’s reading throughout the holidays a must. Children have a golden gift which comes naturally, imagination. And books nourish that imagination, reaping benefits that last for ever.
Article written by Mrs Sarah Raffray, MA NPQH
Headteacher, St Augustine’s Priory