Over the past year, Build-A-Bear Foundation has generously donated £93,000 to BookTrust – funding that has enabled us to support 36,000 Early Years families and to gift “reading buddy” bears to nursery children across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, while also introducing them to the magic of a brilliant story.
Jyoti Johal is the Nursery Manager at the Beeches Day Nursery in Walsall. Building positive associations with books and stories – for parents and for children – is integral to her work.
Last year, she and her team ran a special event to gift BookTrust packs and Build-A-Bears to families, where each child would take home high-quality books and a beautiful bear of their own.
“We invited parents to come along to a session, but we didn’t tell them about the Build-A-Bears beforehand,” says Jyoti. “We just said: ‘Here’s an invitation for you,’ and put paw prints on it, but kept it a surprise.
“When parents came in and saw the Build-A-Bears, they were genuinely excited. We had a teddy bear picnic, with party hats, cakes and cookies. We’d set up the Build-A-Bears and the BookTrust book packs ready for staff to give to children.”
Creating exciting memories around books and stories
Jyoti says: “During the session, I read out one of the books we’d been given by BookTrust – I Really Need A Wee [by Karl Newson, illustrated by Duncan Beedle]. I went really high pitched with the line: ‘I really need a wee, I’m bursting!’
“Afterwards, a couple of the children that heard the story were copying the urgency of it out loud, and they could recall what happened just by looking at the book’s pictures.
“Parents saw the power in that. A couple of them said: ‘Oh, I didn’t think they could read.’ I was like: ‘No, but when you show excitement and get their attention through a story, they will understand it, they’ll remember it and they’ll really like it.’
“We then did a ceremony and gave the Build-A-Bears out to children. Parents were really appreciative. They were lovely bears, such good quality.
“To know they were getting something of such value to be able to give to the children – and to feel recognised – it was a really special moment.”
Satpal Badhan, BookTrust’s Partnerships Manager for Central England, was there to take part in the memorable day at the nursery.
“I shared a little about what BookTrust does, and opened up about my own dyslexia and the challenges I faced in learning to read,” he says. “Some parents and carers then felt comfortable approaching me later to talk about and share their own struggles with reading and writing.
“Seeing the children and their parent carers engaging so joyfully with the Build-A-Bears was a heartwarming experience. It was both humbling and magical to observe the delight on parents’ and carers ’ faces as their child received a BookTrust pack along with a Build-A-Bear. Some of the children have additional needs support and enjoyed holding their bear because of the sensory comfort it offered.
“The nursery put in a lot of effort to create this themed gifting session, featuring a giant bear, a story session, and fun bear games and treats afterwards. It’s all about making special memories.”
How families are enjoying their Build-A-Bears now
“Children have told us they’re having bedtime stories with their Build-A-Bears,” says Jyoti. “A couple of parents said they take their Build‑A Bear out and about with them to different places and write down where they’ve been and what they’ve done with their bear.
“We really like that idea, and as nursery, we’re going to use one of our bears as a travel bear, too. He’s going to have a little suitcase and a diary of wherever he goes – families will write in there, or share pictures. We really want to encourage interaction with parents, and ways of forming positive bonds with children.”
Jyoti adds: “The bears can also offer ‘emotional refuelling’ for children – sometimes they just want a cuddle. One family told us their child has called it his ‘nursery bear’ because that’s where he remembers getting it. He’s only recently started to speak and wasn’t staying at nursery for very long each time.
“Now, we’re using the Build-A-Bear to encourage him to come to nursery. He’s happy to bring it along with him each time and it’s really helped him settle.”
“We’ve done another a teddy bear’s picnic at the nursery since last year, and the children all brought in their bears. Parents that came along told us their children sleep with their Build-A-Bears, because they’re so soft and nice. Or, they’re treasured on a shelf at home. The bears really mean a lot.”
