Parents in Bradford will be given suggestions for 50 things to do with their children before they are five as part of a groundbreaking project.

National group the Big Change has provided £150,000 of funding for the scheme, which is being run by St Edmund’s Nursery and Children’s Centre in Girlington.

Called 50 Things To Do Before You’re Five, the project will officially launch next spring, and provides families with a list of activities that will help a child’s development before they even start school. There will be a particular focus on helping develop children’s speech, language and communication skills.

It will include phone apps as well as a publicity campaign across the district, and suggestions on where in Bradford families can go to to take part in the different activities.

The campaign officially begins in Spring, and the team behind it are currently speaking to parents, nurseries and different children’s groups to compile a list of free or low cost activities families can take part in in or around Bradford.

So far, over 1,000 suggestions have been made, with around 400 distinct activities identified.

Some suggested activities have been visiting local woods for a ramble and, for babies, simple things like blowing bubbles.

Christian Bunting, head of teaching, said: “We’ve tried to make sure we have activities for children of different abilities. There will be activities relevant for very young babies and for children about to turn five.

“There are a huge amount of young children in the district, there are about 20,000 to 25,000 children in Bradford in that age group.

“The activities will be cheap and accessible for families, but they will be really life changing.

“The reason we are doing this is because it is really important for children’s development in a lot of areas. With very young children, if you work on speech, language and communications at this age you can really have a massive effect on the rest of their lives.”

Andrea Layzell, workforce development leader at the centre, said: “We will be letting families know the best way to access these activities. We will be talking with forest schools and similar groups to help shape these.

“Hopefully this project will help parents recognise the key roles they play in their child’s development. Many people feel that teaching and education are things for schools, but having a conversation with a pre school child have have a huge impact on their lives and really help their vocabulary.

“We’ve had lots of suggestions for activities so far, and a lot of them are people recalling what they remember from their own childhood. You forget sometimes how impressive and exciting certain activities can be when you are two and a half.”

Talking about the planned extensive publicity for the scheme, she said as many parents as possible would be made aware of it.

The team is currently recruiting “enthusiasts” - people who have young children who can spread the word of the project to other families. To apply email andrea.layzell@stedmundsbradford.org.uk