6 Stories. 180 Families. 382 Children.
During the school summer holidays we ran six groups at local Family Hubs, free of charge, for families in our city. Each stay and play group was themed around a Julia Donaldson book and had craft, play and sensory activities based around the stories.
We were able to provide food for families at each group, most of which also included a "make it yourself" element, such as sandwich making, fruit and cereal kebabs and cereal chocolate cakes. At the end of the session we were able to give each child a copy of the book the group was themed around and a gift bag including a craft and outdoor activity to encourage the children to remain active throughout the school holidays.
We handed out questionnaires to the parents attending who were so please to have something free to do during the school holidays. Although the groups were aimed at under-fives, we were able to put on activities for older siblings too. Families valued the opportunity to play outside with different toys and take part in activities they hadn't tried before. Many parents stated that they would repeat activities they tried at the group at home, which was fantastic to hear. We also got the children to feedback on their enjoyment of the sessions using a smiley face sticker system, which went down really well.
The groups were so well received and feedback so positive we are keen to offer further groups during half terms, Christmas and Easter breaks.