Fun book bags aim to spread the word about literacy
More than 133,000 bags of books will be handed out to Scottish schoolchildren this week.
New books, writing materials and counting games are to be included in educational gift bags for thousands of primary pupils right throughout the whole of Scotland.
They will be distributed to primary 2 and 3 pupils throughout this week, Book Week Scotland, to support learning in the early years of primary school.
This year’s Read, Write, Count bags will contain works such as A Tale Of Two Beasts by Fiona Robertson and the Children’s Picture Atlas, along with storytelling cards, dice and numbers games.
The Scottish Government scheme – backed by Education Scotland and the Scottish Book Trust – aims to provide fun materials for parents and children to use together to support learning at home.
Deputy First Minister and Education Secretary John Swinney said: “We know that there is a direct link between a strong family learning environment and a child’s attainment at school.
“As a parent myself, I know how challenging it can be at times to keep the kids entertained and find fun things to do which help them with their reading, writing and counting skills.”
The bags will be delivered by the Scottish Book Trust, the national charity which aims to change lives through reading and writing.
Marc Lambert of the trust said the reading packages will “come with information to support parents with ideas for games and discussions that complement and add to learning happening in school.”