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A day of family fun in your pyjamas is planned for Friday!
Families in Northumberland are being encouraged to get involved in this year’s Pyjamarama Day on May 1.
All across the country families will be celebrating BookTrust’s festival of story-filled fun aimed at getting more children reading.
Pyjamarama is a nationwide celebration that aims to get more parents and carers experiencing the magic of bedtime stories with their children. The day will be jam-packed with activities, events and your favourite authors and illustrators – all to be enjoyed at home and in the comfort of your pyjamas!
Northumberland Libraries along with partners in Early Years, Health and Children’s Centres have worked together to produce their own special story and rhymetime video for the children and families of Northumberland. The video will be available to view from Friday May 1 on Northumberland Libraries, Early Years, Northumbria Healthcare Foundation Trust and Children’s Centres social media.
In addition to this 1,000 copies of the picture book “My Pet Star,” by Corrinne Averiss and Rosalind Beardshaw will be delivered to children who would normally access services at many of the county’s Children’s Centres, courtesy of the Bookstart. Further copies of the book will be available later in the year from libraries.
They have lots of other activities for your children and fantastic ideas for things to do on the day. To add to the fun, there are PJ Masks to make and children’s favourites, Horrid Henry and Tracy Beaker, are helping out by providing extra ideas and activities for a brilliant day.
BookTrust is the UK’s largest children’s reading charity. Each year they reach 3.9 million children across the UK with books, resources and support. Previously called National Bookstart Week, ‘Pyjamarama’ supports the important aim, shared by libraries, to encourage a love of books, stories and rhymes in children from as young an age as possible.
In the UK, over 1 in 4 children aged between 0 and 5 are not read to regularly. This means they are missing out on the vital benefits of regular reading in the early years – as part of Pyjamarama, BookTrust together with Northumberland Libraries and other community partners, want to make sure every child has an equal opportunity to have a bedtime story.
Cllr Cath Homer, cabinet member for libraries at Northumberland County Council, said: “Sharing books and rhymes with your children has never been more important; and it is wonderful to see the effort Northumberland Libraries and their partners in Early Years, Health and Children’s Centres have made to deliver Pyjamarama Day locally. As well as a fun story and rhymetime video, mini books provided by Bookstart are being delivered to families in activity packs from Children’s Centres and Community Nursery Nurses.”
Families can join in the fun at home, with plenty of PJ themed arts and crafts on the BookTrust website: https://www.booktrust.org.uk/
