BRADFORD-BASED project 50 Things to Do Before You’re Five - which helps young families to access low or no-cost activities - has been shortlisted for a national award.

The initiative is based on the idea that free or affordable experiences, indoors and outdoors, for families are great ways to support children’s development. The resource, for families and agencies working with families, is presented as a list of ‘fun stuff’, involving an app, website and social media campaign.

Now 50 Things to Do Before You’re Five has been nominated for the Working With Parents Award from Nursery World, a magazine and website for professionals in early years and childcare, including nurseries, pre-schools, childminders and schools. The Nursery World Awards are among the most prestigious accolades in early years.

Project Lead Andrea Layzell, who has worked on 50 Things to Do since it was founded, says: “The project was initially developed for families attending St Edmund’s Nursery School in Bradford. During the development process the team reflected that it could be available for all families across Bradford and sourced seed funding to develop the project as an app and website. We spoke to neighbouring local authorities, who loved it, so we developed a commissioning model.

“Now 50 Things to Do Before You’re Five is available in 23 areas, from Jersey to Fife, with a total of 92,000 downloads

of the app across the UK to date. While 49 of the 50 activities are similar, each area can choose one unique activity. We passionately believe that what makes it special is that commissioning partners must localise the offer.”

Localising the initiative celebrates the diversity of communities, representing and connecting with them. Seventy per cent of parents said that, since using the 50 Things to Do Before You’re Five app, their child has more opportunities to socialise within their community. The tool is available for nurseries, childminders, schools, health teams and community groups and other organisations engaging with young families.

Recent research with childminders using the project found that 64per cent reported that it has improved practice, with comments such as “Practitioner interactions have been better developed” and “We are more engaged with home learning.”

September will see the launch of Friends of 50 Things across Bradford, an accreditation enabling organisations to show that they have embedded the initiative into their practice, acknowledging the work being done with families to improve outcomes for children. There will be resource packs available, and once the organisations have demonstrated how they are using the project they will receive a certificate, digital marketing packs and the opportunity to purchase a plaque.

* To find out more about 50 Things to Do, go to 50thingstodo.org