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Ideas to immerse children in reading and writing
Ideas and opportunities to immerse children in reading and writing throughout the year.
From UK awareness days to national and international events, there’s always a lot going on during the academic year and when you’re busy, it can be a struggle to keep up.
To help make your yearly planner a little more manageable, we’ve picked out some of the highlights and have included events and activities that link with literacy and provide opportunities to celebrate reading and writing with your class.
We’ve also created a free downloadable calendar which will help you incorporate reading for pleasure into your yearly plan and support positive engagement with books.
September 2023
International Literacy Day (Friday 8th September 2023)
A global celebration day that was declared by UNESCO in 1966. Its aim is to raise awareness and promote the importance of literacy to individuals and communities around the world.
Roald Dahl Day (Wednesday 13th September 2023)
Join the world in celebrating Roald Dahl’s wonderful collection of children’s books. Starting in 2006, schools across the UK and overseas organise lots of fun literacy activities. This year the BookSpace team will be sharing their favourite stories on Facebook and Instagram. Why not host Roald Dahl story times in the school library throughout the day or have children vote for their favourite story? For more ideas for your class, check out https://www.theschoolrun.com/roald-dahl-day-five-ways-celebrate
BBC 500 Words (Tuesday 26th September – Friday 10th November 2023)
Since its launch in 2011, 500 Words has inspired over one million primary school children to get creative and have a go at writing a story. Split into two age categories: 5–7-year-olds and 8–11-year-olds, the campaign is designed to encourage children to use their imagination to write a story they would love to read, without worrying too much about spelling, punctuation and grammar. Read more here:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/500-words/about-500-words/zctk7v4
Bath Children’s Literature Festival (Friday 29th September – Sunday 8th October 2023)
This annual festival takes place in Bath, Somerset and hosts children’s authors, creators and illustrators to celebrate books. This year’s lineup includes author Cressida Cowell, Sir Lenny Henry, Chris Riddell, Robin Stevens and Dermot O’Leary. Read more here:
https://bathfestivals.org.uk/childrens-literature/
October 2023
Black History Month
For the whole month of October, schools across the UK take time to celebrate and learn about Black history and culture. The National Literacy Trust has lots of free downloadable resources for KS1, KS2 and KS3 which you can access here: https://literacytrust.org.uk/resources/celebrate-black-history/
World Space Week
World Space Week is a yearly week-long event that marks the achievements, endeavours and contributions in space science. It begins on 4th October to commemorate the launch of Sputnik, the first human-made satellite in 1957. Keep an eye out for our upcoming FREE World Space Week resource – it will include lots of fun-filled literacy activities to bring reading and writing into the mix.
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Sign up hereNational Poetry Day (Thursday 5th October 2023)
Since 1994, National Poetry Day has engaged thousands of children in the UK through poetry. Its mission is to encourage everyone to make, share and experience poetry with friends and family. This year’s theme is refuge. The NPS website has lots of free downloadable resources and ideas to inspire a love of poetry and rhyme: https://nationalpoetryday.co.uk/
Reading is Magic Festival
Five days of free, inclusive and inspiring digital events for schools and families, so you can take part from your classroom, school library or home learning environment. This year’s programme includes Waterstones Children’s Laureate Joseph Coelho, Benjamin Zephaniah, Harry Woodgate, David Almond and Cressida Cowell to name a few.
National Libraries Week (Monday 2nd – Sunday 8th October)
At BookSpace, our focus is on creating inspiring library spaces that engage children in reading and get them excited about books. National Libraries Week is the perfect time to celebrate libraries and their importance to developing a love of reading. Hundreds of public libraries across the UK hold events and run activities to mark the occasion – check out your local library to see what’s happening. https://librariesweek.org.uk/
Cheltenham Literature Festival (Friday 6th – Sunday 15th October)
Literature for Schools is back this year with a 10-day programme of children’s authors, poets and illustrators including former Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen, Jamie Littler, Benji Davies and many more. There’s a variety of creative workshops, meet the author sessions and ‘Story Shack’ – a set of free 20-minute storytelling performances taking place throughout the week.
https://www.cheltenhamfestivals.com/learning-participation/literature-for-schools
November 2023
National Non-fiction November
An annual celebration that lasts the whole month. It highlights some of the best current children’s non-fiction and promotes reading information books for pleasure. This year’s theme is yet to be announced but you can keep an eye out for updates on their website here: https://fcbg.org.uk/nnfn/
Anti-bullying Week (Monday 13th – Friday 17th November 2023)
This year’s theme is ‘Make a Noise About Bullying’. Books are a great way to open up discussion around tricky topics and encourage children to see things from another perspective. For anti-bullying week, try highlighting a few books that might help children who are experiencing bullying. Here are some recommendations from Booktrust for older primary school children: https://www.booktrust.org.uk/booklists/d/difference-acceptance-and-bullying-childrens/
December 2023
Christmas is an exciting time for children so use this time to channel their excitement and positivity into reading. Pick out some Christmas themed books for your class and ask them to vote for their favourite ones which you can read for story time. For ideas and suggestions, check out our free Christmas booklist featuring 24 books to get everyone in school in the festive spirit and engaged in reading. Download your free copy here: https://www.bookspaceforschools.co.uk/christmas-booklist/
January 2024
National Storytelling Week (Monday 29th January – Sunday 4th February 2024)
An annual celebration of storytelling led by the Society for Storytelling who run training, workshops and events throughout the year. They offer a wide range of free downloadable resources to help teachers and librarians inspire and promote a love for storytelling. For ways to engage children in story time, check out this article written by school teacher and English-Lead, Susan Cooper:
https://www.bookspaceforschools.co.uk/blog/how-to-engage-children-in-story-time/
Stepping into Stories – Kids’ Lit Fest (Saturday 27th January – Sunday 4th February 2024)
Based at the heart of Herne Hill in South East London, Stepping into Stories celebrates children’s poetry, performance, writing and illustrating. Each day children can enjoy a 10-minute virtual storytime from the comfort of their own classroom.
February 2024
Children’s Mental Health Week (Monday 5th – Sunday 11th February 2024)
Taking place in February each year, Children’s Mental Health Week was set up to shine a spotlight on the importance of children’s mental health. We know from educational research that reading for pleasure has a positive impact on children’s emotional and mental health and helps to reduce stress and anxiety in young learners. For suggested class reads, take a look at this booklist from BooksForTopics : https://www.booksfortopics.com/booklists/topics/pshe-emotional-literacy-citizenship/mental-health/
Imagine Children’s Festival (Thursday 8th – Sunday 18th February 2024)
This annual festival held at the Southbank Centre in London is a great day out for families. Here you can find a wide selection of events and activities, from children’s theatre, literature, poetry and dance – perfect for something to do over the half-term break. Find out more here: https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/festivals-series/imagine-childrens-festival
International Book Giving Day (Wednesday 14th February 2024)
This day is all about sharing the love of books #bookgivingday. Introduced first in the UK to support children’s reading in underfunded areas, now volunteers in over 44 countries around the world gift a book to a child to increase children’s access to books.
If you’re looking to donate used books or computers from your school, Books2Africa accept donations and will arrange collection for you. Their ‘readcycling’ model is aimed to extend the life of reading material, reduce the amount sent to recycling/landfills in the UK and give readers in Africa access to books. Want to know more? Click here: https://books2africa.org/donate-books-and-computers/
March 2024
World Book Day (Thursday 7th March 2024)
One of the most well-known and celebrated days in schools, World Book Day is a fantastic opportunity to get children excited about books and promote reading for pleasure. Most primary schools in the UK encourage children to dress up as their favourite book character and host a range of book-themed activities to celebrate all things reading. For fresh ideas and inspiration, take a look at this free resource for KS1 and KS2:
https://www.bookspaceforschools.co.uk/resource-world-book-day/
British Science Week (Friday 8th – Sunday 17th March 2024)
2024 marks the 30th anniversary of British Science Week since its official launch in 1994. It’s actually a 10-day event celebrating science, technology, mathematics and engineering. This year’s theme is ‘Time’ and is key to the many discoveries throughout history. It offers a huge range of topics and lots of opportunities to link with literacy. There are lots of ideas and activities on the official website which you can access here: https://www.britishscienceweek.org/the-theme-for-2024-is-time/
World Poetry Day (Thursday 21st March 2024)
Introduced in 1999, World Poetry Day aims to promote reading, writing and teaching of poetry across the globe. At BookSpace, we understand that poetry can be an area which some teachers find overwhelming, where it’s more difficult to fall back on popular genres or well-loved authors. To help make choosing poetry more manageable, we’ve put together a booklist to provide a good, comprehensive poetry collection for your primary school. To get your free poetry booklist, click here: https://www.bookspaceforschools.co.uk/poetry-booklist/
April 2024
Earth Day (Monday 22nd April 2024)
Earth Day is an annual event that started in 1970 and takes place every year on 22nd April. It is dedicated to raising awareness and promoting the protection of our planet. It’s now become a global movement where schools can reflect on the impact of our actions and work towards a more sustainable future. Does your class enjoy reading stories outside? Studies show reading outdoors has lots of benefits for children and there are lots of great books that are perfect to share in the fresh air. For more ideas and recommendations, download this free outdoor booklist for EYFS, KS1 and KS2 pupils: https://www.bookspaceforschools.co.uk/50-great-books-to-read-outside/
Cardiff Children’s Literature Festival (Date TBC)
A jam-packed, fun-filled event for children aged 3-12. Held each year, the event aims to help create lifelong readers and get children excited about reading. Dates for 2024 are to be confirmed but you can stay tuned here for updates:
May 2024
Hay Festival (23rd May – 2nd June 2023)
One of the most well-known literature festivals in the UK, the Hay Festival takes place in Hay-on-Wye, Wales at the end of May each year. There’s a children’s programme called Haydays for families as well as an extensive Schools Programme for KS2 & KS3. For those who can’t be there in person, all events are livestreamed on the day and you can watch them again later.
Bookfest – Shropshire (Date TBC)
A small, Shropshire based charity event that aims to enthuse and entertain children in local primary schools through literature and to help them develop a love of reading and writing.
https://www.shropshirebookfest.co.uk/
June 2024
National Writing Day (Date TBC)
National Writing Day takes place in June each year and is designed to inspire everyone across the UK to write for pleasure, whether that’s at home, school, work or on holiday. Led by First Story, you can download various resources and activity sheets from their website here https://firststory.org.uk/writeday/ and as always, the National Literacy Trust have lots of wonderful ideas for you to use too:
Barnes Children’s Literature Festival – London (Date TBC)
One of the largest dedicated children’s literature festivals in the UK. It features some of the biggest names in children’s literature and has a Primary Schools Programme with curriculum-linked sessions free to pupils in state schools in London. https://www.barneskidslitfest.org/
July 2024
Summer Reading Challenge
One of the biggest free events over the school holidays. The Summer Reading Challenge kicks off in July in England and aims to prevent the summer reading ‘dip’ that many children experience over the break. To find your nearest library running this year’s challenge, check out the official website:
We hope you find these dates useful and that you can incorporate some of these events into your literacy planner. If you have any other ideas then please feel free to share them on our social media pages – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn.
Library design services for schools
If you’re looking to raise the profile of reading this year, then the school library is a great place to start. We offer a free library design service for primary schools, secondary schools and academies. Get in touch with our library designers on 0121 246 2777 to find out how we can help you create your dream school library.
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