Bookstart Toddler and Pre-schooler
Encouraging reading in the early years.
Thanks to all our donors and supporters, we are working with early years settings in every local authority or council in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, supporting families from low-income backgrounds with our Bookstart Toddler and Pre-schooler packs.
As well as being wonderful for bonding, families reading together from the earliest moments means more children discover the many benefits of reading, and they are more likely to continue to read as they grow. However, our research shows that while the majority of families know that reading together is important, work and the pressures of family life mean some struggle to make it happen.
We developed the Bookstart Toddler and Pre-schooler packs, which include interactive books and activity ideas, to help parents and carers see sharing stories as a fun way to spend time together throughout the early years.
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How the BookTrust packs support early years practitioners with their work
Pam Readman, Senior Outreach Worker for Hartlepool Council, has been using our BookTrust Toddler and Pre-schooler packs to deliver story sharing sessions and encourage families to visit their local library.
"Bookstart Toddler and Bookstart Pre-schooler are being incorporated into the fantastic work of early years practitioners in SureStart Centres across Northern Ireland. It’s been wonderful to see first-hand how the packs and books are being used to engage children with the life-changing benefits of reading at a crucial point in their lives, and how much fun SureStart families are having together exploring these packs and the stories within them!"
– Chris Eisenstadt, Senior Engagement Manager and Director of Northern Ireland for BookTrust.
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