The Reading Agency has today announced that they are teaming up with the Youth Sport Trust again for this year's Winter Mini Challenge, a free reading adventure. The Challenge encourages children to keep up their reading over the winter holidays and offers rewards and prizes for continuing to read.

Following the success of this year's Summer Reading Challenge, the Winter Mini Challenge will continue to follow the Ready, Set, Read! theme throughout the winter. By taking part online via the Challenge website, children will be able to join this year's six characters as they head out to have fun on a winter walk.

The characters, illustrated by Loretta Schauer, will get children fired up about games, sport and play, with the Ready, Set, Read! theme of the Challenge aiming to keep children's minds and bodies active over the winter holiday. Children can log their reads and share reviews on the digital platform and earn rewards for their reading, with many public libraries across the UK offering events and activities which tie into the theme.

During the school holidays, some children experience a 'dip' in their reading skills. The Winter Mini Challenge is on a mission to change this by providing a way for children to keep reading for enjoyment outside the classroom. Accompanying resources which can be downloaded through the digital platform will help families and teachers to provide free and fun activities over the holiday.

The Winter Mini Challenge will launch on 1 December and run until 19 February.

Karen Napier, CEO, The Reading Agency said: "We saw a fantastic response to this year's sport and games themed Summer Reading Challenge, showing that reading goes hand-in-hand with play in helping children to explore their creativity. We're delighted to be continuing our partnership with the Youth Sport Trust for this year's Winter Mini Challenge and hope we'll fire up the imaginations of children across the country."

Ali Oliver MBE, Chief Executive of the Youth Sport Trust: "Following the success of the Summer Reading Challenge, we are delighted to be partnering with the Reading Agency once again on this year's Winter Mini Challenge! The cold weather and early evenings over the winter can make getting active outdoors challenging, but we hope children and young will be inspired by the games, sport and play themed books selected as part of the Ready, Set, Read Challenge to keep active over the winter holiday.

We know active children are happier, healthier and can even achieve more in the classroom. The Winter Mini Challenge is a brilliant way to inspire children over the winter to keep both minds and bodies active."

Visit www.wintermini.org.uk for more information.
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