Celebration of childhood to be held this summer

During the four-day event from 29 June to 2 July, a varied panel of experts, ranging from scientists and pedagogues to early years practitioners and policy-makers, will be presenting ideas about modern childhood.

The festival will run alongside Bath’s annual Forest of Imagination, a contemporary arts event that attracted more than 10,000 visitors in 2016, and is now in its fourth year. This year's theme is Forest on the Edge.

The International Festival of Childhood will focus on four major topics, with each conference day running under a specific motto: The Natural Child (day one), Play, Creativity and Movement (day two), The Impact of Culture (day three) and Rights of the Child (day four).

Speakers will include Dame Helen Gosh, director general of the National Trust, Sally Goddard-Blythe, director of the Institute for Neuro-Physiological Psychology, Leanna Barrett, founder & CEO of Little Forest Folk outdoor nurseries, David Almond, award-winning children’s author and Naomi Danquah, director of the Child Rights Partners programme at UNICEF UK, among many others. 

The conference will run parallel to city-wide entertainment and events for the whole family, free of charge and open to anyone.

The festival is the result of a collaboration between the national Save Childhood Movement and the Bath-based cultural organisation 5x5x5=creativity. The main festival partners include Bath Festivals, the National Trust and the Royal Society of Arts (RSA).

5x5x5=creativity is an independent arts-based action research organisation set up in 2000, which supports children in their exploration and expression of ideas, inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach.

The Save Childhood Movement was launched in 2013 and consists of a growing collaboration of individuals and organisations. It has a particular interest in how modern culture is impacting family life and how this shapes the values and mindsets of children, especially in the early years.

The movement promotes global well-being, as well as the concept of the child as a citizen with unique developmental rights that need to be protected. The movement’s guiding principles are informed by UNICEF, the World health Organisation and the European Union. 

Wendy Ellyatt, chief executive of the Save Childhood Movement, said, ‘The Festival of Childhood is an attempt to bring together everyone who cares about the early years and who wants to have the voices of parents, carers, practitioners and teachers more strongly heard.

‘Policymaking in the UK is consistently failing to prioritise the wellbeing of children and families and we believe this has profound consequences for society. We hope that everyone who is concerned about the issues will join us in the summer and contribute to the conversations. The more support the festival has, the more we can show how much people care!’

Bath is hosting the event as part of its commitment to becoming a UNICEF Child Friendly City.

• Early Bird bookings end on March 15. For more information visit the festival website