The Reading Agency partners with Youth Sport Trust for Summer Reading Challenge 2023

The Reading Agency has revealed that this year’s Summer Reading Challenge will be "Ready, Set, Read!"

The annual challenge encourages children to engage with books during the summer reading "dip". According to the agency, it reached 723,184 children and families across the UK in 2022, with 608,015 children taking part through their local library service. This year, the agency – in partnership with the Youth Sport Trust – has the dual aim to keep children’s minds and bodies active over the summer break.

Throughout summer 2023, children will be able to take part in a fictional summer obstacle course brought to life with illustrations by children’s illustrator Loretta Schauer. The Youth Sport Trust has also developed activity cards, which will be made available to families alongside the official 2023 Summer Reading Challenge book collection.

The Youth Sport Trust will also be piloting active equipment packs in five libraries across the UK. These packs will be available for families to borrow alongside books from the Challenge. The equipment packs will include hard copies of the activity cards and basic sports equipment to support families to be active, irrespective of space and cost barriers.

Karen Napier, c.e.o of The Reading Agency, said: “We are really pleased to be partnering with the Youth Sport Trust for this year’s Summer Reading Challenge. Building on the successes of last year and the significant increase in library sign-ups, we can see there is real demand from families to have in-person activity to get involved in over the holiday. This year’s ’Ready, Set, Read!’ theme provides the perfect opportunity to get children together to have fun and enjoy the power of reading.”

Ali Oliver, chief executive of the Youth Sport Trust, said: “We know for too many children reading and physical activity levels fall during the summer school holidays, setting them back in term of literacy and physical development. This is why as a national children’s charity, we are delighted to be partnering with the Summer Reading Challenge this year.  We are working together to bring brilliant and imaginative stories to life through movement.

“There is an exciting growing body of research which shows physically active children achieve higher levels of academic attainment than their less physically active peers. Indeed, movement plays an important part in brain function. Not only that, but physical activity supports better health and well-being, and we know healthy and happy children achieve more.

“Attitudes towards physical activity in childhood track into adulthood so it’s hugely important we give all young people a positive experience, and recognise the contribution sport, play, and physical activity make in helping young people to learn, and develop physically, socially and emotionally."

The activity cards and further details about libraries participating in the equipment pilot can be found at summerreadingchallenge.org.uk.