Reading to your baby might feel like a simple, nurturing activity, but the benefits are far-reaching, laying the foundation for a lifetime of learning and development.
Bookstart Baby, a programme run by BookTrust, has been helping parents engage with their newborns through books for over 25 years.
This year, the programme has selected Usborne’s Baby’s Very First Lift-the-Flap Peekaboo, written by Fiona Watt and illustrated by Stella Baggott, to introduce babies to the world of reading.
Every new baby in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland receives a special pack containing this delightful book. The eye-catching bright yellow cover features a friendly panda, inviting babies to explore the flaps, finger trails, and cut-out shapes that reveal playful animals. The final page even features a mirror, giving babies the chance to see themselves while enjoying the peek-a-boo game. It’s the perfect introduction to the joy of shared reading.
Research has consistently shown that shared reading has powerful benefits for children’s development. It encourages language skills, fosters emotional bonding, and boosts cognitive development. For infants, hearing their parents’ voices as they read strengthens their early communication skills and builds a foundation for later language and literacy achievements.
By receiving a Bookstart Baby pack, parents are encouraged to start reading to their babies as soon as possible, setting them on the path to developing a love of books. Diana Gerald, CEO of BookTrust, emphasizes the importance of early reading: “It’s never too early to start sharing stories and reading together with children. Starting when they are babies is the best way to lay the foundations for a lifelong reading habit.”
The sensory-rich experiences that babies enjoy through shared reading help prepare them for future phonics learning. As babies engage with books, they are already being introduced to key language concepts like rhyming sounds, syllables, and patterns. 
Early reading and language experiences help develop vital skills like phonological awareness—the ability to recognise and manipulate the sounds of language. Phonological awareness is a crucial predictor of later literacy success. Babies may not yet be able to understand words, but hearing language and interacting with sounds, rhymes, and rhythms helps develop the brain pathways necessary for reading. In fact, research shows that children who are exposed to books and language from a young age are more likely to achieve better educational outcomes in the long run and will be better prepared for more structured phonics learning when they transition into nursery or pre-school.
Monster Phonics Nursery programme complements early reading experiences like those provided by Bookstart.
The programme plays a pivotal role in developing phonological and phonemic awareness for pre-school children. It lays the foundational skills necessary for speech and language development through fun activities that focusing on listening, sound discrimination, and phonological awareness. These early skills help them progress smoothly into formal reading instruction and are crucial for later reading and writing success, as well as overall communication abilities.
The Monster Phonics Nursery books include actions and additional activities to create an immersive learning experience. By focusing on multisensory engagement, phonological awareness, active participation, vocabulary expansion, and social-emotional development, these books lay a strong foundation for early literacy skills in a fun and engaging way.
The Bookstart Baby programme helps parents and caregivers to give their babies a head-start in life by introducing them to the world of books. By including interactive and sensory books, babies can start exploring the world of sounds, rhythms, and patterns even before they understand words.
As these little ones grow and start their nursery journey, they’ll benefit from early phonics programmes like Monster Phonics, which help build the phonological skills they need for reading and writing. The combination of shared reading, early intervention, and phonics instruction provides a powerful foundation for future literacy success.
By starting early, families are not only nurturing a love of books but also giving their children the skills they need to thrive in school and beyond.
So whether it’s a simple game of peek-a-boo with a panda or learning letter sounds with the Monsters, every moment of shared reading is a step closer to a brighter future.
For more information on the Bookstart Baby programme and how you can get involved, visit: https://www.booktrust.org.uk
To explore how Monster Phonics can support your child’s early literacy journey, check out Monster Phonics: https://www.monsterphonics.com