This article is brought to you by Slough Borough Council on behalf of National Literacy Trust, for the attention of all Early Years settings.
Aim of the reading challenge
My Feelings: A Reading Adventure is a free reading challenge, created in partnership with Mrs Wordsmith, for pupils aged 4 to 12, designed to nurture a love of reading and support emotional literacy. Through stories, poetry and non-fiction, children will be encouraged to explore how characters experience and express emotions, helping them better understand and talk about their own feelings.
This challenge supports the National Year of Reading 2026, a UK-wide campaign to boost reading for pleasure. Its call to action, Go All In, encourages children to “read into” the things they already care about, making reading relevant. By connecting books with pupils’ real interests and emotional experiences, this challenge offers an engaging and inclusive way to bring the Go All In spirit to life.
Take part: Running the reading challenge in school
Resources for this challenge are available to download at the bottom of this page.
- Teacher guidelines with clear, step-by-step support for delivering the challenge
- A 'Quick-Start' guide, for those wanting to read a brief overview of the challenge
- Ready to use classroom resources from Mrs Wordsmith
- A welcome video (found below) from our funders and competition judges, introducing the challenge directly to your class
- A suggested reading list covering all age groups, featuring a broad array of titles that support the challenge
- A design ideas template to help pupils start bringing their creations to life
- A certificate to award your pupils for their participation and engagement.
- To access the resources, you will need a minimum of a free membership of the National Literacy Trust.
Entering the competition
The Reading Challenge will run during the Summer Term 2026, with the competition closing on Friday 19 June.
Once you have completed the reading challenge, you will be able to submit your students' designs on a form that will live on this webpage from early June.
There will be winners and runners up from each age group:
- 4-7 (Foundation/Key Stage 1/P2-P4)
- 7-11 (Key Stage 2/P5–P7)
- 11-12 (Key Stage 3/S1–S3)
Prizes include:
- Mrs Wordsmith book bundles and classroom resources
- First-place schools will receive a visit and workshop from Mrs Wordsmith’s mascot, Oz the Ostrich
Competition entries will be judged by our partner, Mrs Wordsmith, and winners will be notified by mid-July.
Terms and conditions for entering the competition
If you have any queries about our Reading Champions Reading Challenge series then don’t hesitate to contact us at competitions@literacytrust.org.uk.