Getting Everton reading

From Laura Lewis, Family Project Worker, Everton

With our head office based in Everton in Liverpool, here at The Reader Organisation we love to offer as many opportunities for local people, whatever age, to enjoy our shared reading groups. There are a whole range of exciting story and song groups around Everton for you and your little one to try. All of our groups are free, so why not come along and join in? Sharing stories and rhymes with your child is one of the best ways to help them develop speech, imagination and creativity. It is also a wonderful opportunity to spend time with your baby or toddler in a fun, friendly environment.

One of the recent reads enjoyed as part of Magical Story Time in Everton

We currently run two groups for under fives and their parents and carers; older siblings are welcome too in the school holidays. There is

• Magical Story Time at Everton Children’s Centre on a Tuesday morning, 10-11am,
• and on a Friday morning you can celebrate the end of the week with Time for a Rhyme at Whitefield Primary School, 9-10am.

The Time for a Rhyme group is term time only, but you don’t have to have a child registered at the school to attend.

For the older children, we run a Family Story Time group at Breck Road Library, 3.30-4.30pm on Fridays. Children of any age can come along with parents or carers and enjoy games, colouring and a story; refreshments are also provided.

But before all of you grown ups feel left out, don’t worry! There are several free reading groups for you to come along to as well. Noveltea is at BNENC (Breckfield Road North) on a Tuesday, 12-1pm and Book Brunch runs at Breck Road Library at 10.30am-12pm every Friday.

Time for a Cuppa is our crafty reading group, every Thursday morning at Whitefield Primary, 9-10.30am. You don’t need to know anyone at the school, just come and join us for crochet (absolute beginners very welcome!), a story and a poem. All of our adult reading groups involve tea, biscuits and friendly faces. You don’t have to read aloud, but you can if you want. We read the book together in a relaxed environment and talk about the story; you don’t have to read anything in advance.

Please don’t miss out on these exciting groups in your local area; they’re free, fun and offer you the chance to meet other adults and parents. Also, remember to keep an eye on The Reader Organisation’s Twitter account (@thereaderorg) for details of special events in the area. I hope to see you all soon!

For more information call Laura Lewis on 07812 238 377 or email lauralewis@thereader.org.uk

Our Everton story time sessions for children under 5, their parents and carers run in association with LCVS and Thrive at Five. For all the information of our groups for children and young people, as well as our open groups in and around Everton, see the Reading With Us page on our website.