Bradford families celebrate Father’s Day weekend with books and storytelling

Bradford families had fun celebrating Father’s Day weekend with books and stories at The Gateway Children’s Centre with the Bradford Literacy Campaign. Dads, mums and children all got stuck into literacy activities including storytelling, sing-a-longs and a free book giveaway, as well as kick-a-abouts, games and arts and crafts.

Local storyteller, Sharron Cook delighted children by taking them on a ‘we’re going on a bear hunt’ story trail. The little ones were hooked on her exciting tales which even involved a flurry of ‘snow’ whilst they searched for a bear around the green space outside the centre. Kids could then make their Dad a Father’s Day card and enjoyed games with a giant parachute, footballs, a tug-o-war and water balloons. After completing all the activities, each child got to choose and take home two books from a selection of popular titles, including ‘The Gruffalo’ by Julia Donaldson and ‘The Big Book of My World’ by Kali Stileman.
Imran Hafeez, the National Literacy Trust’s Bradford Hub Manager says:
“We’ve had a lot of fun with families at this event and we’re looking forward to planning more. Studies have shown that children whose parents are involved in their learning and development will go on to do well in school and later life. This can happen through encouraging conversation, sharing stories and books and talking about the world around you. The Bradford Literacy Campaign is working to build better links with parents and in particular, Dads who can have an immense impact as male role-models to both boys and girls.”

Lesley Metcalfe at The Children’s Society and Centre Leader at Gateway says:
“We’ve had some great feedback from families who would like more of these events in the future. It’s never too early to share books with children and the positive impact of parents reading together with their children cannot be underestimated”