Bhubaneswar, May 2: Students from the age group between five and 13 years are taking part in the "Reading Challenge Workshop" in the city.

The kids appear deeply interested in the challenge and are leaving no stone unturned to complete reading as many books as possible.

The British Council, in association with The Reading Agency, UK and Arts Council England that organises the challenge every year, requires the students to read a minimum of six or more library books of their choice in six weeks.

The students, who successfully complete the challenge are showered with incentives and rewards, along with certificates and medals.

The workshop that kicked-off last week aims to enhance the reading skills in children and help them become confident and enthusiastic readers.

It is a thematic programme with story books based on a theme from contemporary British authors.

One of the themes for this year's challenge is titled Record Breakers for the senior students. It will encourage young readers to explore some of the astonishing achievements and world records that are featured in the Guinness World Records.

The initiative is also believed to develop their understanding on complex English vocabularies, along with their pronunciations.

At the workshop, specialised trainers from the British Council are conducting various activities for the students based on the themes to make their reading experience more meaningful and enjoyable.

A variety of activities - reading and comprehension, story writing, creating characters, speaking skills, book cover designing, book review writing, vocabulary games, collage making, quizzes are all included in the one-and-a-half months workshop.

"The challenge helps students pick up reading skills with passion. Besides language development, the students also get to learn about soft skills. We hope the students benefit from the activities we are conducting," said Megha Roy, a British Council employee.

"After the six-week enrichment programme, children are intellectually stimulated and inspired to read more. They will have enhanced confidence and self-esteem," said Roy.

"The opportunity to read stories for developing our vocabulary skills is definitely a fun way of learning. My child is extremely excited to attend the workshop and has already learnt a lot from it," said Abhipsa's mother, who is a student from the SAI International School, which is hosting the workshop.