Sharing books, stories and rhymes with your child from an early age can help create a lifelong reader, which will have lots of benefits as they grow older too.
Every child is entitled to a free baby Bookstart pack - which contains a lovely board book (perfect for baby), a finger puppet and a booklet of tips and ideas for sharing books with children from a very young age. Most baby Bookstart packs are gifted by health visitor's at baby's 6-8 week check, but if a family hasn't received one they can collect one from their local library.
There are also additional packs for toddlers and pre-schoolers, these are gifted to families by health visitors and early years workers (limited numbers available).
Furthermore there are special packs for children with hearing or visual impairment and those with conditions affecting their fine motor skills, as well as dual language picture books for those families where English isn't the first language.
If you or a family you know or work with would benefit from any of these packs or resources please email the library service: [email protected], mark FAO The Bookstart Co-ordinator.