Bookstart

Bookstart encourages parents and carers nationwide to enjoy books with their children from as early an age as possible. The routine of sharing books, stories, songs and rhymes helps to build pre-literacy skills.

It’s never too early to start enjoying books - even tiny babies enjoy stories and rhymes!

Research shows that the better children are at recognising rhymes the quicker and more successful they will be at learning to read.

It's also a special time and place to build a strong and loving relationship between parent and child.

Bookstart packs

Trafford give out two Bookstart packs containing books, rhyme posters and other great materials. The first Bookstart Baby Pack is gifted by the Health Visitors at your child's 6 week health check and the second Bookstart Treasure Gift when your child is at their school nursery.

If you haven’t had a pack, get in touch with Trafford's Bookstart Coordinator by email.

Three specific packs are available for children with additional needs:

  • Booktouch for blind and partially sighted children
  • Bookshine for deaf and hard of hearing children
  • Bookstart Star for children with conditions affecting their fine motor skills

If you would like more information visit the Bookstart website.

Rhymetime and Storytime

Rhymetime and Storytime sessions build on the Bookstart packs, helping you engage with your child through stories and songs. Sessions are held in libraries throughout Trafford, so come along and join in.

Rhymetime is aimed at younger children and Storytime is aimed at children with more developed verbal understanding. However, both can be enjoyed by any pre-school age child.

Details of all sessions are available on our Rhymetime and Storytime page.