Local primary school children are being challenged to bring five Roald Dahl titles to life in exchange for bundles of books and Roald Dahl themed goodies. We've created the project in partnership with Penguin Random House to help young people brush up on their literacy skills before returning to school next week.
The free downloadable resource is bursting with interactive activities that will get children excited about creative writing. Children simply need to complete all five challenges, each one inspired by a different Roald Dahl book, to receive their package full of treats.
The activities will see children reimagining their homes as each one is linked to a different room - whether it’s creating dream jars for The BFG, cooking up a storm in the kitchen with George’s Marvellous Medicine or heading into the garden to become an investigative journalist reporting about a very special journey onboard a famous peach.
The challenge is part of Doncaster Stories’ commitment to distribute 20,000 free books during its first year in order to help spread a love for reading. Our research shows that 44,000 children and young people in Yorkshire and the Humber don't have a book of their own meaning that they are missing out on the many benefits of reading. Children who own books are six times more likely to read above expected levels for their age compared to their peers and are more likely to have higher levels of wellbeing.
We hope that this project will help maintain the momentum of positive reading and writing trends that have developed during lockdown. After reaching a 15-year low before lockdown, our research with Puffin found that more than half of children (55.9%) now say they enjoy reading and three in five (59.3%) said reading in lockdown made them feel better.
To take part in the Roald Dahl challenges, download the resource below and send a photo of your child’s completed work to doncasterstories@literacytrust.org.uk. Book bundles are being offered to children aged 7-11 in Doncaster while stocks last or until 30 October, whichever is soonest. Book bundles are being offered to children aged 7-11 in Doncaster while stocks last or until 30 October, whichever is soonest.
Phil Sheppard, Senior Campaign Officer for Doncaster Stories, said:
“Roald Dahl’s books and characters have been such a huge part of our campaign since we launched last year. They are great for engaging even the most reluctant of readers and we’ve tried to make the activities as accessible as possible so that children don’t have to have prior knowledge of the books in order to get involved. I’m really excited to see the masterpieces that are created and I hope that some local young people get to fall in love with the magic of Roald Dahl.”
Book bundles are being offered whilst stocks last . Terms and conditions apply.