Nursery rhyme trail launches in Swindon as part of a new chat, play and read campaign

Swindon Stories is launching a nursery rhyme trail, as part of the Hungry Little Minds campaign from the National Literacy Trust and funded by the Department of Education.

The trail, which launches on Friday 20 November, will be in two areas of Swindon; the Lawn Woods area, focused around the church, ice house and steps of the park and Penhill, including Penhill Park, Seven Fields and The Orchard. The trail is inspired by World Nursery Rhyme Week and invites families across Swindon to chat, sing and act-out the nursery rhymes that they spot on their walks.

The Hungry Little Minds campaign provides families of children under five with lots of simple and fun activities that can easily slot into their daily routines to build their child’s speech and language skills at home. The campaign aims to reach as many families as possible, ensuring that every child across the county is being given plenty of support at such a turbulent time.

Lynn Turner, Project Coordinator for Hungry Little Minds in Swindon, said: “Nursery rhymes are a great way to share moments with your little one.  We’ve deliberately chosen nursery rhymes that encourage exploration of the world around us, whilst building up fine and gross motor skills, alongside early literacy skills”. 

The trail will be in place in both sites for a month and will also be promoted to nurseries and other early years’ settings in the area. All participants are encouraged to take photos and send them in to the Swindon Stories Hungry Little Minds team.

For more information on Swindon Stories, please visit www.swindonstories.org.uk or go to the Swindon Stories Facebook page www.facebook.com/SwindonStories

For more simple tips and activities that parents can do to support their children’s literacy at home, visit the national Hungry Little Minds website (https://hungrylittleminds.campaign.gov.uk/) or the National Literacy Trust’s Words for Life website (https://wordsforlife.org.uk/).