Bookbug Week is back again with more stories, songs and rhymes for young children. We all know how much fun Bookbug sessions can be for both adults and children, but did you know how much it benefits your child’s development?

Here are four ways Bookbug can help support the positive emotional, social and educational growth of children your children and benefit them in later life.

Emotions

Bookbug promotes positive interactions through telling stories, singing songs, rhymes and play. These activities help form positive parent and child relationships and helps develop the connections in a child’s brain that promote emotional development.

Bonding

Bookbug stories, songs and rhymes promote aspects of touch, such as cuddling or tickling. They also involve face-to-face interactions. Both of these things help develop good communications skills, bonding and can foster a trusting relationship between child and parent or carer.

Vocabulary Development

Children’s books contain half as many rare words than on primetime TV.  This helps develop a wide vocabulary and allow children to communicate and express themselves more effectively.

The earlier you start your children the better – by the age of three 50% of our language is already developed. By the age of five, that jumps to 85%.

Literacy

We need to hear approximately 1000 stories before we can learn to read. Give your kids the best start in life by reading to them from an early age. They earlier children are read to, the better their language and literacy skills.

Get involved in Bookbug Week 2018 – check out what we’ve got on at a library near you or join in our regular Bookbug sessions.

Find out more about Bookbug at the Scottish Book Trust website.