Bookstart Toddler and Pre-Schooler

Bookstart Toddler and Pre-schooler: your questions answered

• Who is the target audience for these resources?

  Our target audience for these resources is lower-income families with children aged 1-4, to support them to make shared reading a regular part of their lives. The offer has been designed in collaboration with partners and with families from our target groups.

  BookTrust is committed to offering more targeted support to families from lower-income backgrounds because we know these children stand to benefit the most from reading regularly and reading by choice. We work with a broad network of delivery partners to reach families in the most deprived areas as well those living in pockets of deprivation in more affluent areas.

  Partners have used many different approaches to find the best routes to families; overall these could be described as:

  • Geographical – where partners have identified settings or routes working in areas of higher deprivation

  And/or

  • Identifying routes or organisations that, by their nature, reach families in our target groups.

• What is the aim of the programme?

  The Bookstart Toddler and Pre-schooler programme aims to:

  • Provide target families with the tools and information that they need to feel inspired and excited about sharing stories together
  • Provide our partners with tools and information to support their work with families
  • Contribute to learning what support target families need for sharing stories together in the early years – and where, when, and how BookTrust and partners may best provide this support
  • Find successful routes to reaching families
  • Inform how we can better support our partners' work with families

• How can I make best use of the resources?

  Storyteller pack

  The Storyteller pack is a toolkit developed to support our partners to share stories with families. It can be used in settings with families as part of group storytelling sessions, or with individual families at home.

  You can share the books, use props to help bring them to life, and explore the activity cards for further suggestions on how to extend the stories.

  Help families to see how they can replicate the storytelling experience at home by pointing out what you're doing, building their confidence, and emphasising that it doesn't need to be perfect for their child to enjoy it!

  Toddler

  Bookstart Toddler packs have been designed for children aged 1-2. We encourage you to see this only as a recommendation. We know that every child is different, and that because you work closely with families, you are best placed to know when to gift packs to match the stage a child is at. When gifting the packs, you can highlight some of the messaging printed on the pack envelope, such as how they can access further activities on our Family Hub, or how they can join their local library.

  If you have time, you could even try modelling for families how you might use the books and resources with a child – showing, for example, how parents/carers can use the finger puppet as a character through which to tell the story or sing a rhyme.

  Pre-schooler

  Bookstart Pre-schooler packs have been designed for children aged 3-4. We encourage you to see this only as a recommendation. We know that every child is different, and that because you work closely with families, you are best placed to know when to gift packs to match the stage a child is at. When gifting the packs, you can highlight some of the messaging printed on the pack envelope, such as how they can access further activities on our Family Hub, or how they can join their local library.

  If you have time, you could even try modelling for families how you might use the books and resources with a child – showing, for example, how Colours with a Ladybird can be used to help children develop their fine motor skills by following the finger trails.

• What resources, other than the gifted packs, are available for families?

  Alongside the physical packs, we have also created a digital Family Hub where families can find further activities, read-along videos, book suggestions and advice on reading with their child. Families can access the Hub via the QR code on the back of their pack, or by going to booktrust.org.uk/familyhub.

• What permissions have been granted by the publishers of the Bookstart Toddler, Pre-schooler and Storyteller books?

  The publishers of the Bookstart Toddler, Pre-schooler and Storyteller books have granted local authorities permissions to host live and recorded readings.

  Recorded readings should only be shared via closed / not publicly available groups.

  Note: For full information about how long the permissions are valid for, what is allowed and which credits are required, download the latest permissions document by clicking here.

• How does this programme link to BookTrust’s other work?

  In England

  Bookstart Toddler and Pre-schooler are just one part of BookTrust's early years reading journey.

  Every baby born in England receives a Bookstart Baby pack, gifted by Health Visitors, Registrars and other early years professionals during the baby's first year of life. This is a free book pack with resources, designed to support and encourage families to read with their child as early as possible.

  We also offer BookTrust Storytime, which aims to engage families with children aged 0-5 – especially those on lower incomes – in their local library and encourages them to explore a range of books and stories. As part of the offer, families can enjoy free activities, Storytime sessions and a welcoming space to have fun together – as well as being offered the chance to vote for their favourite story on the BookTrust Storytime Prize shortlist.

  We also offer free SEN packs and dual-language books and resources for children aged 0-5, to support access to books and the opportunity to enjoy reading.

  For more on how to gift these packs, and for information on all of our early years offers, please go to booktrust.org.uk/storyteller.

  In Northern Ireland

  Bookstart Toddler and Pre-schooler are just one part of BookTrust's early years reading journey.

  Every baby born in Northern Ireland receives a Bookstart Baby pack from their Health Visitor, usually at the 12-14 week or 6-9 month check. This is a free pack which contains a book and resources, designed to support and encourage families to read with their child as early as possible, and is part-funded by the Department of Education.

  As children start school, life at home can become hectic and it can be hard to balance homework with reading for fun. We know that reading together has a positive impact on children's imagination, language, and emotional wellbeing. Reading together regularly as a family will also create a fun, safe space for children to express themselves. Our Time to Read packs, gifted to all Primary One pupils, are funded by the Education Authority, and each pack contains top tips for sharing stories as a family, as well as some creative materials to enable children to explore the story beyond the book.

  For more on how to gift these packs, and for information on all of our early years programmes, please go to booktrust.org.uk/storyteller.

  In Wales

  Bookstart Toddler and Nursery are just one part of BookTrust Cymru's early years reading journey.

  Every baby born in Wales receives a Bookstart Baby pack from their Health Visitor, usually at the 6-month Family Health Review, followed by a Bookstart Early Years pack at the 27-month Family Health Review. Both packs contain a high-quality bilingual book and resources, designed to support and encourage families to read with their child from as early as possible.

  The Bookstart offer also includes dual-language books for families where English or Welsh is an additional language. These books are gifted in addition to the books in the Bookstart Baby and Early Years packs.

  Pori Drwy Stori is an exciting bilingual programme for Nursery- and Reception-aged children in Wales. Children taking part receive books, rhymes, activities and games which support their Foundation Phase literacy, numeracy and oracy skills. Schools and nurseries are also supported with training and resources to inspire creative engagement with families.

  We also offer BookTrust Cymru Storytime, which aims to engage families with children aged 0-5, especially those on lower incomes, in their local library, and encourages them to explore a range of books and stories. As part of the offer, families can enjoy free activities, Storytime sessions and a welcoming space to have fun together – as well as being offered the chance to vote for their favourite story.

  Each February, early years settings and families are invited to join us for Big Welsh Rhyme Time, our annual celebration of sharing rhymes, poems and songs. It's rhyming fun for everyone!

  For more on how to gift these packs, and for information on all of our early years offers, please go to booktrust.org.uk/storytellerwales

• How is the programme evaluated?

  We evaluated the pilot phase of the programme (June 2022-June 2024) through a survey of parents and carers, a survey of partners, and visits to several settings to observe the resources in action and talk to families and partners about their experiences of the programme.

  The evaluation measured the pilot's success against several impact indicators, finding that the offer was working to spark families' enthusiasm and knowledge about the benefits of reading, and different ways to share books and stories together, as well as supporting and encouraging them to read more as a result. For example:

  • Lower income families were more likely to learn something new about the benefits of reading (77%) than families overall (67%), and about different ways to share stories with their children (82%, compared to 78% of families overall).
  • 77% of families said the offer had prompted them to read and share stories more with their children. This was particularly pronounced for lower income families (84%).

  You can read more about what we found in the pilot in our Year One evaluation summary report.

  Following the pilot phase, our BookTrust Early Years offers are now a core part of BookTrust's early years reading journey. We will continue to run surveys for families and partners using this offer to allow them to provide valuable feedback on the difference it is making, and how it could be improved.

• If I have further queries or questions, who can I contact?

  Please email [email protected], specifying your local authority, and one of our BookTrust Partnership Managers will be in touch.