FAMILIES in Leicester are being encouraged to get moving this summer with a free programme of fun activities at their local children’s centre.
From Monday 17 July until Friday 25 August, Get Up & Go will offer a range of free activities throughout the school holidays at the city’s children, young people and family centres (CYPFC).
Run by the city council, the programme will include lots of outdoor fun, such as skipping, circus skills and giant outdoor games, as well as a chance to have a go on the new smoothie and spin art bikes.
There will also be plenty of indoor creative play and lots of opportunities to join in with this year’s sports and games-themed Summer Reading Challenge, Ready, Set, Read!
On Mondays, there’ll be Get Up & Go activities at St Matthews, Thurnby Lodge and Woodbridge CYPFCs; on Tuesdays the action is at Bewcastle and Saffron, while Beaumont Leys CYPFC is the place to go on Wednesdays. On Thursdays, youngsters can get up and go at the CYPFCs at Netherhall, New Parks, Belgrave and Highfields, while there’s Friday fun at The Grove in Braunstone and at Eyres Monsell CYPFC.
Times vary at each venue so people are advised to check the timetable here or to call their local children’s centre
Away from the children’s centres, Town Hall Square will host mini Playdays on a number of Wednesdays throughout the summer, where there’ll be giant outdoor games, story-time, arts and crafts and a dedicated area for babies. Mini Playdays will take place from 11am-2pm on 19 July, 26 July, 9 August and 16 August.
The big one – National Playday – will be marked on Wednesday 2 August, when Town Hall Square will be turned into a giant playground for babies and children.
Activities will include traditional games such as skipping, hula hooping and hook-a-duck, as well as creative play sessions and lots of arts and crafts.
There will also be storytelling with Leicester’s BookBus and a stay-and-play area for parents and babies.
Leicester’s Playday runs from 11am to 3pm on Wednesday 2 August.
Bringing the Get Up & Go programme to a close will be a Summer Extravaganza on Victoria Park.
Running from 11am-3pm on Wednesday 23 August, the free activities will include baby play sessions, stories from the BookBus, a youth village – including a music workshop – and the chance to make your own instrument at a ukulele workshop.
Youngsters will also be able to have a go on a climbing wall, but please note that height restrictions apply and suitable shoes must be worn.
The city council’s Get Up & Go programme aims to encourage families to get out and about and enjoy the outdoor spaces around them – and deputy city mayor Cllr Sarah Russell hopes that children and young people will enjoy the activities that have been planned for them this summer.
“This is the sixth year that we’ve run our Get Up & Go programme, which is designed to help young people be more physically active during the summer break,” she said.
“All our activities are free of charge, and many of them can be replicated at home for little or no cost.
“I hope these events will give families lots of ideas for their own low cost activities and encourage them to get out and about with their children this summer.”
Children aged between five and 18 should aim to do 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity – such as dancing, running, bike riding, football or trampolining – every day.
Muscle-strengthening activities – such as hopping and skipping – are also recommended at least three times a week.
A timetable of events and more information about Get Up & Go is available here or on Facebook