Take 10

The Take 10 Challenge encourages people to read for just 10 minutes a day to improve their wellbeing and support their literacy. First developed by Read Manchester, Take 10 now inspires children, families, and organisations nationally as part of the National Literacy Trust's Connecting Stories campaign.

To inspire people to take up and continue the challenge, the National Literacy Trust hold national Take 10 moments where thousands of people across the UK drop everything and read together for 10 minutes.

On Friday 8 October, 165,000 children and adults in schools, communities and businesses across the UK took part in our #Take10ToRead Challenge as part of our Connecting Stories initiative with Arts Council England, proudly supported by Wesleyan.

Across the country, children and adults stopped what they were doing, picked up books, comics, magazines, or newspapers and read for 10 minutes to support their wellbeing ahead of World Mental Health Day.

School children nationwide were invited to a digital events with authors promoting their positive experiences of supporting wellbeing through reading and writing. Primary school students met award-winning author Tom Percival, who give pupils a sneak peek of his brand new book Silas and the Marvellous Misfits, and secondary school students watched acclaimed novelist Louisa Reid, discussing her book Gloves Off.

Schools, authors, publishers, and businesses shared images on social media with the hashtag #Take10ToRead inspiring their communities to get reading every day.

When is the next Take 10 moment?

Keep an eye on this page to find out when the next Take 10 moment will be!

Our Take 10 moment on Friday 8 October took place just before World Mental Health Day 2021 on Sunday 10 October - the perfect time to reflect on how we are all feeling and what we can do to improve our wellbeing and that of the children and people around us.

Our research shows us that reading can be an effective way of helping people take care of their mental health and wellbeing - and it only takes 10 minutes a day to see the benefits!

Reading every day can help everyone - children, young people and adults - to:

• Relax, unwind and boost their mood
• Escape from the pressures of life and reduce their stress levels
• Improve your memory and concentration

Schools

Support your pupils and students to Take 10 every day, inspiring them to keep reading at school and at home.

Check out some of our ideas and top tips:

• Create Take 10 book recommendations display boards that pupils can update themselves
• Run daily Take 10 moments during break, lunch or tutor period
• Younger classes might benefit from using reading reward charts
• Set up mini libraries or borrow boxes in spots around school or in classrooms
• Set up pupil-led reading groups
• Encourage readers to try fiction, non-fiction, comics, audiobooks, magazines and articles, to find out what they love to read

Businesses and organisations joined schools and families across the UK in our Take 10 moment to encourage their employees and their families to read every day and support their wellbeing.

Encourage reading in your workplace

• Set up a book group - groups could be themed to different genres such as crime, romance, literary fiction, sci-fi or fantasy
• Organise regular book swaps
• Set up an office library space/shelf
• Create a book recommendations noticeboard
• Add a ‘currently reading’ line to your email signatures
• Set up lunch time reading areas