Key topics
Sharing books with babies and young children
2 Mar 2012
Babies love to communicate. They are born sociable and come 
into the world with a willingness to communicate and learn. Their experiences in their early years shape their future social, communication and learning skills. Books can be a great way of helping babies and their carers during this period of discovery.
Storytelling and book-reading are an easy way to have regular, additional talking time. Storytelling introduces structure and language patterns that help form the building blocks for reading and writing skills. Reading aloud combines the benefits of talking, listening and storytelling within a single activity and gets parents and carers talking regularly to young children.
Reading to children on a daily basis gives them the best start to life. It is never too early to start communicating.
Talk To Your Baby reading and storytelling resources
- Share books and talk together - our toolkit for practitioners
- Sharing books with your baby - our quick tips
Information about reading and storytelling
- Rhyme time - why rhymes and storytelling are good for babies
- Story time - advice for parents on making the most of reading time
- Books for babies - a list of recommended books for babies
- Proust and the Squid: the story and science of the reading brain
- Research: Toddlers learn complex actions from picture book reading
- Rose Review - Independent Review of the Teaching of Early Reading
- Promoting phonological awareness in nursery-aged children
The National Literacy Trust's projects about reading
- Early Reading Connects - encouraging a love of language, stories and reading (no longer running but content is still available)
- Young Readers Programme - a national programme that motivates disadvantaged children and young people to read for pleasure.
- Literacy Champions - supporting more families to promote literacy in the home by providing volunteers in the home and engaging a wide range of local partners and services.
External organisations
- Bookstart - the national books for babies programme
Books and Babies
Recieve more information about the itneractive process of reading with babies.
Early reading connects
Encourage a love of language, stories and reading with early years.
Partners in literacy
Ensuring the importance of encouraging reading in the home is intergrated into the planning and activity of all key organisations concerned with education, health and parenting
