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Developing reading and writing skills for under fives

Whether you're on the bus, in the shops or at the doctor's, there are countless opportunities to help your child to learn by reading together - and there are fun ways to develop their writing skills too.

Reading together

Reading stories with your child, even if for just 10 minutes a day, will help build important skills, as well as capture your child's interest in books. From their earliest days babies enjoy listening to stories and looking at books.

To make a fun and effective reading routine for your child:

  • spend 10 minutes a day reading together, and make it fun by choosing books you both enjoy
  • talk about the pictures and characters in the books and make up your own stories
  • buy books as presents and join a local library

Learning about letters

Children often learn to read by matching letters with the sounds they remember hearing. To help this learning process, you can try to:

  • get your child to spot letters they recognise (like the first letter of their name) in words
  • sing nursery rhymes and songs together while pointing to the words in a book
  • look at brochures and catalogues together, and point out words printed in bold or with unusual fonts
  • play 'I-spy' to show the sounds and letters different words begin with
  • play games with sounds, making up silly words that all begin with the same sound (like the first sound in their name)

Developing mark-making and early writing skills

From a young age children enjoy experimenting with making marks and doing their own 'writing' which they will enjoy 'reading' to you. You can also help your child by:

  • helping them to make marks on paper with a range of tools such as their fingers, brushes, crayons
  • taking part in other activities that enable them to develop their motor skills, such as rolling dough, cutting paper or threading laces
  • helping them 'write' labels, birthday cards and invitations

Bookstart - More books for babies and toddlers

Bookstart is a national programme, funded by Sure Start, that aims to promote a life-long love of books. It works through local organisations to give free packs of books to babies, as well as guidance materials for parents and carers.

There are three different types of Bookstart pack available, for different age ranges:

  • Bookstart pack (0 to 12 months) - a canvas bag containing two board books and a book of nursery rhymes, advice on sharing books, information about libraries and an invitation to join
  • Bookstart+ pack (18-30 months) - a bright red nylon satchel including two books, a colouring pad and crayons, a book list and guidance material for parents and carers
  • Bookstart Treasure Chest for three year olds, including two picture books, a set of stickers, a colouring pad, coloured pencils, and guidance material for parents and carers

To find out if there is a Bookstart scheme operating in your area, ask at your local library.

If there is a scheme, your baby should receive a pack at the seven to nine-month health check with their health visitor - if not, contact your local library.

If there is no scheme operating in your area, you are entitled to a free Bookstart pack - contact Booktrust, the charity that administers Bookstart, for your pack.

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