Welcome to BookTrust HomeTime

Looking for something fun as a family? Enjoy storytime with our free online books and videos, play games, win prizes, test your knowledge in our book-themed quizzes, or even learn how to draw some of your favourite characters.

Please note: We sometimes link to third-party sites, including YouTube, so children should not use HomeTime unsupervised.

Today on HomeTime

The front cover of How to Break a Dragon's Heart

Cressida finishes How to Break a Dragon's Heart

Justin Somper shares his 12th creative challenge

The stowaway is discovered

Eilidh Muldoon shares her tips for being an illustrator

Drawing top tips

Illustration of a father reading to his baby

HomeTime for 0-5s

HomeTime with Authors and Illustrators

Explore more lockdown activities

Join in the fun

Parent and child drawing at home by Hannah Shaw

Open the HomeTime Cupboard

Have you missed some of our exciting BookTrust HomeTime treats? Don't worry - we're storing all of them in the HomeTime Cupboard for you! Open it up to enjoy storytimes, how-to-draws, activities and many more treats.

Let's get started

Reading recommendations

We know that being locked down at home can be overwhelming or stressful for you and your family. Books can be a great way to unwind and have a giggle, so we've put together lists of recommended titles that we think will help you through this phase of coronavirus restrictions.

Books to get you through lockdown: 0-3 year-olds

We've put together a list of picture books that are perfect for sharing - from stories that will make you giggle to tales that will help you forget about the world for a while.

Books to get you through lockdown: 4-5 year-olds

Whether you want a silly story to cheer you up or a book that will get you dancing around the kitchen, we've put together a list of terrific titles to share with your children.

Books to get you through lockdown: 6-8 year-olds

Great for children who are starting to read independently, expect lots of humour, adventures and brilliant illustrations in our list!

Books to get you through lockdown: 9-11 year-olds

Books can be a brilliant escape, whether they're exploring difficult emotions or whisking you off on a fantastic adventure! Here's our list of titles for older primary school children.

How to draw

Learn how to draw more characters

Tips and advice

Get useful tips and advice about how to read as a family, setting up a great bedtime routine, and how to encourage reading in your school.

Get started

More HomeTime fun

Storybooks and games

Listen or read along with loads of stories, or play one of our interactive games.

The front cover of Lesser Spotted Animals 2

Quizzes

Test your knowledge of children's books with our fun quizzes - from Harry Potter in translation to nursery rhymes.

Competitions

Try your luck with BookTrust competitions and win some brilliant prizes.

Activities to print out and enjoy

Word searches, puzzles, colouring sheets and lots of creative inspiration. Print out our activity sheets to keep boredom at bay and have fun together.

Rhymes

Create your own Rhymetime together with our rhyme playlists and matching rhyme sheets.

Illustration by Erika Meza of an older child eating breakfast with parent or carer

Book-themed recipes

Have a go at some fun book-based bakes, from a Gruffalo cake to Bumblebear biscuits.

Emily Rowland illustration of boy reading at home

HomeTime in Northern Ireland

Welcome to HomeTime in Northern Ireland. We’ll be featuring storytimes, drawalongs and more from some of our amazing local authors and illustrators, as well as sharing what our Northern Irish partners are doing to support families at home.

Illustration by Erika Meza of an older child riding a dragon

HomeTime Cymru

Welcome to BookTrust Cymru HomeTime. Looking for something fun as a family? We have stories to enjoy, rhymes and songs to share, and fun games and activities from some great authors, illustrators and storytellers from Wales.

My Pet Star

Enjoy loads of fun activities, rhymes, storytimes and more inspired by My Pet Star, the chosen book for Pyjamarama 2020.

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Try our Bookfinder

Illustration by Fiona Lumbers of a young child reading on a beanbag next to a stack of books

Discover your next read

Use our Bookfinder to find the perfect book for you, your family and friends. Search hundreds of reviews of children's books by age category and theme.