Reading is a great way to escape your everyday, relax and boost your mood. Children who enjoy reading are more likely to feel happier and do better at school. One way to support children's reading and make books more accessible for those who might not have access to their own books, is by setting up a book swap. A book swap event is a great way to share your love of reading and encourage families in your community to pick up a book. The array of new choices, opportunity to chat about the books that they have read, and the ability to try something different at no cost will also give children and families that confidence to give a book a go.
We've pulled together four easy steps to help you organise your own book swap...
Step 1: Choose a great location for your book swap
Find a place that is visited by lots of people every day with a good place nearby to sit and enjoy a book. Putting books where people might not be expecting to find them can be a great way to encourage interaction.
You could try leaving some books in the following locations:
- In your workplace
- Cafés
- Doctor and dentist waiting room
- Places of worship
- Sports clubs
- Community venues
Step 2: Find the books
Friends, family members and colleagues are great people to go to when gathering books for your book swap. You might want to reach out to local bookshops or charity shops to see if they have any spare books that they could donate. It doesn’t just have to be fiction books, you could include non-fiction books, comics, or football annuals. As more people find out about and use the book swap, the number of books will naturally grow.
Step 3: Get the word out
Let people know about the book swap via friends, family members and colleagues. You can also use social media to get the word out there. Make sure you connect with local community groups who can help you reach even more local families. Who knows – you might inspire others to create their own book swaps!
Step 4: Have fun
Reading something that interests you can transport you away from day-to-day life, so once you’ve set up your book swap, make sure you enjoy its benefits too.
You could think about introducing new ways for people to engage with the book swap such as encouraging people to write post it note reviews and displaying them for others to read.
You could tie your book swap event into Take 10 to Read and encourage those who are swapping books to take 10 minutes on the 10 October at 10am and dedicate this time to reading.
How can I get involved with the National Literacy Trust?
If you like the sound of setting up a book swap in your local area to support children and families discover a joy of reading, then why not become one of our Literacy Champion volunteers?