June is a key month for libraries to support reading for pleasure, promote inclusion, encourage creativity, and connect children with wider learning themes beyond the classroom. Planning around awareness dates helps librarians keep engagement high, create purposeful displays, and offer meaningful activities that support both literacy and personal development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Below are key June dates with simple context on why they matter in a library setting, followed by practical, low-prep activity ideas designed to spark curiosity and keep children engaged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This week highlights the real impact libraries have on learning, confidence, and access to knowledge. It\u2019s a strong opportunity to remind children that libraries are not just for books, but for discovery, imagination, and growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Activity ideas:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Create a “Book Match” station where children are matched with a mystery book based on their interests. Great Big Green Week focuses on environmental awareness and encourages action towards a more sustainable future. Libraries can use this to build curiosity about nature, climate, and everyday choices that impact the planet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Activity ideas:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Hide pictures of endangered animals around the library and create a discovery trail. (World Refugee Day takes place on 20 June)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Refugee Week is about understanding, empathy, and learning from different lived experiences and cultures. Libraries play an important role in creating safe, inclusive spaces where children can explore identity, belonging, and global awareness through stories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Activity ideas:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Create a giant world map and invite children to place stickers showing where stories in the library are set. This day is designed to encourage creativity and confidence in writing. Libraries can use it to show children that storytelling doesn\u2019t have to be formal or perfect, just imaginative and expressive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Activity ideas:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Create a story vending machine where children receive random characters, settings, and challenges. Pride Month is about celebrating diversity, inclusion, and the many different types of families, identities, and experiences in society. For libraries, this is especially important as it supports representation in reading and helps children see themselves reflected in books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A key focus for this month should be creating safe, welcoming, and inclusive reading experiences through storytelling and book recommendations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Activity ideas:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Host diverse family storytimes featuring books that showcase different families, cultures, and experiences. This period encourages creativity and expression through art. Libraries can use it to connect storytelling with visual creativity, helping children interpret books in new and imaginative ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Activity ideas:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2022 Ask children to redesign the cover of a favourite book. These awareness dates work best when they are part of a wider approach to how libraries plan, organise, and deliver engaging experiences for children and young people. Alongside creative activities and themed displays, many libraries also use digital systems to support the way their services are managed and how readers interact with books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 247lib.com<\/strong> is a library management system designed to help libraries organise their collections, manage resources, and streamline day-to-day library processes. It supports staff in keeping information accurate and accessible, making it easier to track items, manage catalogues, and maintain an organised library service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hedgehog<\/strong> is a reading engagement platform used by schools and libraries to help promote reading for pleasure. It supports discovery by helping readers find books that match their interests and encourages more personalised reading journeys for children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These systems can help librarians save time on administration, reduce manual workload, and improve how effectively they connect readers with the right books. This creates more time to focus on delivering engaging activities, supporting literacy, and improving the overall reading experience for children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 Ask children to write one sentence about how a book changed their thinking and display the responses around the library.
\u2022 Run a “Library Explorer” challenge where children earn stamps for discovering different sections of the library.
\u2022 Create a “Recommend a Book to Future You” activity and store recommendations to revisit later in the year.
\u2022 Set up a “Blind Date with a Book” display using wrapped books and clues instead of titles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n2) 6-14 June: Great Big Green Week<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 Ask children to invent a future eco-friendly city and draw or write about it.
\u2022 Create a “Guess the Rubbish” challenge showing how long different materials take to decompose.
\u2022 Run a nature detective activity using books to identify plants, insects, or birds.
\u2022 Create a reading challenge focused on wildlife, nature, and environmental topics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n3) 15-21 June: Refugee Week<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 Learn how to say “welcome” in different languages and create a display.
\u2022 Read stories from different countries and compare traditions.
\u2022 Ask children what makes them feel welcome and create a collaborative display.
\u2022 Create a “Suitcase Story” activity where children choose five items they would take on an important journey and explain why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n4) 24 June: National Writing Day<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 Place writing prompts inside books for children to discover.
\u2022 Ask children to write an alternative ending to a favourite story.
\u2022 Create a collaborative story where each child contributes one sentence.
\u2022 Challenge children to write the shortest story possible using only six words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n5) Pride Month (Throughout June)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 Create a “Stories for Everyone” display highlighting books that celebrate diversity and inclusion.
\u2022 Ask children to recommend books that helped them learn about someone different from themselves.
\u2022 Create a reading passport where children collect stamps for reading books featuring a variety of characters and perspectives.
\u2022 Invite children to design a book cover around the theme “Everyone Belongs”.
\u2022 Build a recommendation wall where children can share books that made them feel understood, welcomed, or inspired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n6) 27 June-12 July: Children’s Art Week<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 Create a “Draw the Next Chapter” challenge.
\u2022 Design bookmarks inspired by favourite characters.
\u2022 Turn a library display into a community art gallery.
\u2022 Create a giant collaborative mural based on a popular story.
\u2022 Challenge children to illustrate a scene from a book without using any words.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSupporting Libraries Beyond the Activities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n