Supporting Early Years Professionals
Programmes, tools and resources for those working with children and families to support the education and development of young children.
Sharing stories to help children develop and thrive
We work with early years settings and professionals in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to deliver our Bookstart Baby, Bookstart Toddler and Bookstart Pre-schooler programmes to help them to get families sharing books and stories together. We have tips and support to help partners to show parents the best ways to engage young children in reading.
You’ll find a wealth of tips, story activities and book recommendations to help our partners bring books and stories to life for children and families and inspire them to share stories together at home.
“The Bookstart Toddler and Pre-schooler packs have been invaluable for families who are missing out”
Pam Readman – Senior Outreach Worker for Hartlepool Council
Programmes and Support
-
Welcome to the dedicated space for Bookstart Toddler and Pre-Schooler/Nursery, an early years programme designed to support families to get started with reading.
-
BookTrust Storytime is an exciting library experience for families, offering a fun, free, and easy way to entertain under 5s at local libraries.
-
These packs are made available to support families, in England, in addition to any other Bookstart packs they may receive.
-
BookTrust is dedicated to encouraging families of all cultures to engage with books. We want to ensure that every child has access to books and the opportunity to enjoy reading.
Books and Resources
-
Hand-picked books that are perfect for children aged 1–2, selected to help families get more from their Bookstart Toddler pack.
-
Hand-picked books that are perfect for children aged 3–4, selected to help families get more from their Bookstart Pre-schooler pack.
-
Looking for a great book on a theme? Our booklists can help you discover some brilliant books that children will love
-
Authors and illustrators Adam and Charlotte Guillain share some of their top tips for telling a story to children.
-
Free tips and advice in 25 languages on sharing books with babies.
-
Search thousands of hand-picked book recommendations to find a child’s next favourite read – from astonishing adventures to fantastic facts, our Bookfinder tool will help you discover the very best kids’ books
Research and Articles
-
Research shows that reading in the early years brings profound and wide-ranging benefits to children that can have a lifelong positive impact.
-
This research briefing provides an in-depth understanding of how children’s reading habits evolve during their crucial first years. We heard first-hand from families their experiences of reading support, helping us to understand their changing needs and how we can support them.
-
Reading in the Early Years: Why starting shared reading early matters and the role of Bookstart Baby
What our research with families from low-income backgrounds in the UK tells us about the importance of shared reading in the early years, and how our Bookstart Baby programmes can support this.
-
Research with families from low-income backgrounds in the UK. Research shows that reading in the early years brings a wide range of immediate and lifelong benefits that can transform children’s life chances.
A lot of our work is supported by BookTrust. As well as singing and rhymes, stories are a big way of promoting speech and communication. BookTrust has really helped us with that.
Marie Holmes, Language Through Play Worker for Spurgeons
Help share the magic of reading today!
Make a donation to BookTrust to help transform lives by getting children reading
Donate today