Our free weekly newsletter for parents is published every Friday morning. Created to help you and your child get the most out of every issue, it’s packed with useful information, inspiring ideas and expert advice.

From family debates to fun activities and opportunities to extend learning, each quick-read guide is guaranteed to spark conversations, encourage curiosity and offer solutions.

Sign up today to join The Week Junior’s parent community and get the newsletter delivered direct to your inbox every week.

Easy wins for busy parents!

Our weekly newsletter – Saturday Science – brings you ideas for science and nature activities to do with your family.

Landing in your inbox every Friday morning, the short and snappy email delivers one activity for the weekend.

We carefully select every activity, making sure that they are quick, fun and easy to do – and use materials that you're likely to have around the house. It's a parenting win!

Many Saturday Science activities can be done unsupervised, while others may require a little help. We provide links to full, easy-to-follow instructions in the newsletter.

You’ll also get sneak peeks at forthcoming issues of the magazine, and we’ll bring you new podcast episodes, giveaways and ideas to help your child’s education.

Sign up today to start sparking your children’s curiosity!

The Summer of Reading is supported by some incredible organisations. Have a read below to find out a bit more about the brilliant work they do.

Established in 1792, WHSmith started out as family-run newsagents before becoming the first retail chain in the world. WHSmith's celebrated their 230th anniversary in 2022, and with over 600 stores on the high street and another 600+ stores at airports, train stations, hospitals and motorway services, WHSmith is now one of the UK's leading retail groups and a household name.

The School Library Association (SLA) is a not-for-profit which supports schools to develop their school library, establish a reading culture and deliver independent learning skills. They work towards all schools having their own (or shared) staffed library to help all children and young people fulfil their potential. They currently have over 2,400 members, and are the first port of call for everyone involved in building a school reading culture, whether that’s through their training, their publications, or their advice line.

The Barnes Children’s Literature Festival is the UK's largest dedicated children's literature festival. Barnes is put on by families for families, bringing favourite authors and illustrators together and pushing the boundaries of traditional literature festivals to create loads more space for the family-friendliest fun.

The Week Junior is on a mission to encourage families to ditch the plastic and glitter in favour of some simple handmade Christmas decorations using old magazines and recycled household items.

We've put together some exciting craft ideas below that feature handy step-by-step guides designed to help you stamp out waste, save money and give your family something fun to do over the festive period.

Happy crafting - The Week Junior Team

Watch BAFTA-winning presenter, author and YouTuber Maddie Moate make a Christmas tree from her old copies of The Week Junior! Not only has she upcycled the magazine to make this cute decoration, she'll be recycling it after the festive season is over! It's super simple to make, all you need is some old magazines and glue - why not give it a try?

Spark curiosity this Christmas, and for weeks to come, by gifting a subscription to The Week Junior.

The Week Junior is a current affairs magazine for 8–14-year-olds. Delivered weekly, it's filled with fascinating stories and information to engage curious minds.

See our festive offers here.

Reading for pleasure is a gift that will last a lifetime

Literacy is, of course, an essential life skill; it unlocks the door to learning and discovery and has been proven to build brain function, increase vocabulary and improve concentration and creativity. But the benefits of reading go beyond basic comprehension.

Research by The Reading Agency, National Literacy Trust and others has shown that reading for pleasure promotes mental wellbeing by helping children to relax, reducing anxiety and stress. It can help children develop empathy by experiencing the world through someone else’s eyes. They will begin to understand themselves better, too, as they explore different emotions, identities and experiences.

The key to encouraging reading for pleasure is to allow children to read what they want. According to the UK Literacy Agency, “If children want to pick up a book, comic or magazine, choose their own reading material and enjoy reading, they are far more likely to continue reading, become effective readers and gain from the countless ensuing benefits.”

3 ways to help children enjoy reading

• Find out what they’re interested in and help them to find reading material that connects to their passions. The Week Junior’s Summer of Reading list of 50 books is a good place to start (plus there is a fun competition to help motivate them!) and there are plenty more useful resources online, including Book Trust’s Book Finder.
• Start conversations about books. Encourage children to talk about what they’ve read and describe what they did and didn’t like about it.
• Suggest they find out more about their favourite authors. Many authors have their own websites and YouTube channels.

Keep active young minds occupied, entertained and inspired

The team at The Week Junior - the award-winning magazine for 8-14 year olds - have selected one of their favourite activities from a previous issue to keep your family entertained.

What our readers say....

Here are a few ideas to help you encourage wildlife to your garden.

It's half term and the sun is shining! Here are a few fun ideas that you and your family could try out, to help wildlife feel more at home in your garden.

Make fun ice cream cone bird feeders

You will need:

• Ice cream cones
• Pencil
• Peanut butter
• Small bowl
• Birdseed
• String

Instructions:

Start by poking a hole through the bottom of the cone using a pencil. Thread a piece of string through the hole and tie a knot at the end. Spread a small amount of peanut butter around the rim of the cone. Place some birdseed into a small bowl and dip the peanut butter coated cone into the seeds. Hang it off a tree and you'll slowly start to notice the birds (and squirrels!) eyeing it up.

Get stuck into some planting

What you need:

• Pebbles or little stones
• Plant pots with holes in the bottom
• Compost
• Seed or bulb
• Watering can
• Water

Instructions:

Put a few pebbles in the pot, so that you can't see the bottom of it. Sprinkle compost on top of the stones — fill up a quarter of the pot. Lay a seed or bulb on top of the compost and in the centre of the pot. If you're planting lots of seeds, spread them across different pots and if you're putting more than one seed in the pot, they'll need equal amounts of space between them. Add compost until the pot is three quarters full. Push the compost down gently and place the pot in a sunny place. Water your seeds or the base of the plant (not the leaves) every evening.

Create a wormery

What you need:

• Large clean glass jar
• Sand
• Some soil – damp is best so add a little water if it hasn’t rained recently
• Peel from vegetables such as carrots or potatoes; tea leaves from a used teabag; grapes and dead leaves
• Black paper

Instructions:
Wash the jar carefully, then let it dry for about 10 minutes. Add a layer of sand at the bottom — about 1cm deep. Now add a thick layer of the soil, then another 1cm of sand, then another of soil until you are nearly at the top. Pop the worms in the jar and add the vegetable peel, tea, leaves and grapes. Now ask an adult to help you put a couple of holes in the jar lid, screw it on and wrap the jar in the black paper. Leave the jar in a cupboard for two weeks then take the paper off and have a look at what the worms have done.

What’s happened?
The worms have eaten their way through the peelings and moved around the jar, mixing everything together and making the soil really healthy and full of good stuff. This is why worms are so important in the garden.

The Week Junior is an award-winning current affairs magazine for children

Keep active young minds occupied, entertained and inspired

The team at The Week Junior - the award-winning magazine for 8-14 year olds - have selected one of their favourite activities from a previous issue to keep your family entertained this February.

How to... Make a surreal 3D game

Olaf Falafel is a children's author, illustrator, dad and stand-up comedian. His favourite art is surreal art. He thought it would be cool to make his own version of the classic snakes and ladders board game, with a 3D twist. To make it surreal, he's swapped snakes for worms and ladders for gherkins!

What our readers say....

The festive season is a time to celebrate with friends and family, and to spread joy and goodwill to people near and far. It’s a time to be kind – and that’s why we’re inviting you to join The Week Junior’s 12 Days of Kindness challenge.

We've created a fun activity planner for you to print, stick up and to check off with 12 ways for you to show kindness, well-being and fun over the festive season. Take a look below and check out our handy ideas to help you complete each day.

We’d love to hear about the kind things you’ve done and how they made you feel. Share your experiences with us at hello@theweekjunior.co.uk or ask an adult to share them on social media @theweekjunior with #12daysofkindness.

Have fun, smile and be kind.

The Week Junior Team

Looking for inspiration? Here are some helpful tips to help you with your challenges

For most of us, the festive season is a happy time. But there are children all over the UK who face a Christmas without food, warmth or love.

Action for Children is working hard to change this, but they need our help. That is why The Week Junior is supporting its Secret Santa campaign this Christmas.

You don’t need a team of reindeer or a magic sleigh. By becoming an Action for Children Secret Santa, you could bring happiness, warmth and safety to vulnerable children across the UK.

To find out more about Action for Children and its Secret Santa campaign, please go to: iamsanta.org.uk/kindness

This Christmas might feel a little bit different than normal for many people. That’s why we’re encouraging you to join our 12 Days of Kindness challenge and help bring cheer to your friends, family and community – and yourself – throughout December. We’ve created a downloadable poster for you to print out and stick up - it features 12 ways for you to show kindness and will help you to keep track of how you get on. Scroll down and check out our handy ideas to help you complete each day.

We also have a creative competition to design our festive front cover with TV presenter, author and Action for Children ambassador Dr Ranj as our guest judge! Get your template and see the full entry details below.

We’d love to hear about the kind things you’ve done and how they made you feel. Tell us about your acts of kindness at hello@theweekjunior.co.uk or share with us on social media @TheWeekJunior - remember to use the hashtags #12daysofkindness and #TheWeekJunior (make sure you have a parent/guardian's permission to do this)

Remember to have fun, smile and most of all, be kind.

Keep track of your progress with our poster

Looking for inspiration? Here are some helpful tips to help you with your challenges

For most of us, the festive season is a happy time. But there are children all over the UK who face a Christmas without food, warmth or love.

Action for Children is working hard to change this, but they need our help. That is why The Week Junior is supporting its Secret Santa campaign this Christmas.

You don’t need a team of reindeer or a magic sleigh. By becoming an Action for Children Secret Santa, you could bring happiness, warmth and safety to vulnerable children across the UK.

To find out more about Action for Children and its Secret Santa campaign, please go to: iamsanta.org.uk/kindnessinfo

What you need

• An old newspaper
• A pumpkin – whatever size you like
• A serrated knife
• A big spoon
• A marker pen, like a Sharpie

Instructions

First, lay the newspaper down so you don’t make a terrible mess. Now, get your pumpkin and cut all the way around the top, just under the stalk, using the serrated knife. It’s best to get an adult to help with this, as you could cut yourself if you slip. Lift off the top and use the spoon to scoop out all the pumpkin’s guts – the seeds and fibres, as well as some of the flesh. Now, using the marker, design the pumpkin’s face. If you need some inspiration, why not do a Google search to find the scariest possible version? Carefully use the knife to cut out the eyes, nose and mouth. Make sure you cut all the way through. Now, put a tea-light inside and ask an adult to light it to make a spooky glow. Make sure you send a picture of your pumpkin to the email address at the bottom of the page. We’ll show the freakiest on the Over to you pages.

WARNING! Ask an adult for help before using sharp knives, and never leave a lit candle unguarded.

Download as a PDF

What you need

• 1 red apple
• Peanut butter or raspberry jam
• White mini marshmallows
• Knife or apple slicer
• Spoon
• Plate

Instructions

First, cut the apple into slices using a knife or an apple slicer. Next, take two slices and spread peanut butter or jam (if you want it to be extra gruesome) onto one side of each slice. Stick the mini marshmallows in a line along the slice, using the peanut butter or jam as glue to keep them in place. Sandwich the two slices together like lips, with the marshmallow teeth in the middle, then arrange them on a plate.

WARNING! Be careful when slicing the apples. Ask an adult to help.

What you need

• 2 willing adults
• 2 teams of friends or family
• Lots of toilet rolls – at least one per team member

Instructions

Get your adults to stand in the centre of the room with the teams around them, each holding a toilet roll. On the count of “1, 2, 3… go!” each team must wrap the toilet paper around their adult’s body, arms, legs and head until they look like an Egyptian mummy. The first team to complete their “mummy” is the winner.

The Week Junior is very proud to have become plastic-free. However, it is only a small step. In order to reduce the amount of plastic in our environment, we all need to do things differently by changing the way we behave every day. Why not start by taking our challenges. Can you do all 10?

We've made two festive templates for you to choose from. Pick your favourite design, download and create...or why not do both?!

Spread some festive joy and give your card to a friend, family member or neighbour and bring a smile to someone who needs it.

We've hugely enjoyed looking at all the beautiful rainbows you've sent in to us – scroll down to take a look. If you haven't yet had a go, email your rainbow to us at hello@theweekjunior.co.uk or post it on social media using #RainbowTrail. Then, hang up your rainbow for all to see. Download a template at theweekjunior.co.uk/rainbowtrail.

Here's a selection of some of the rainbows that have already been sent in to us...

Bring science to life, even while you're at home. The Week Junior Science+Nature magazine will be sharing plenty of exciting activities, experiments and articles taken from recent issues of the magazine, to help keep children exploring, learning and creating.

Get creative with the family this Christmas, with our festive crafts.

Don’t forget to share your perfectly laid tables and salt-dough decorations with us on Facebook and Twitter @TheWeekJunior.

Looking for Christmas gifts for curious youngsters? Our Christmas gift subscriptions make the perfect gift - keeping young people entertained from Christmas Day with the 2019 Annual, for months to come with their weekly or monthly subscription.See our offers here.

Are you getting ready to send the kids back to school in September?

The new school year can be a stressful time. There are uniforms to sort out, new timetables to learn, and lunch boxes to prepare - as well as making the big switch from summer holidays to term time routines.

With the help of some savvy mums, we've put together ten top tips to help you get your family in ship shape and ready to tackle the new school year ahead.

Make life easy for yourself (and the children) with these prep-ahead tips for the new term

The Week Junior is a brilliant current affairs magazine for children aged between 8 and 14. It’s filled with fascinating stories and information, written to engage curious young minds and encourage them to explore and understand the world around them.

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