World Book Day is one of the most magical dates on the calendar for children and parents alike. Taking place on the first Thursday of March in the UK* (6 March for 2025), this annual celebration is all about inspiring a love of books and storytelling. But how can you make the most of it with your little one? Here’s a handy guide to help you embrace the joy of reading with toddlers and preschoolers!
What is World Book Day?
World Book Day is a special charitable event, celebrated globally, that encourages children of all ages to discover the joy of reading. Why? Because reading has the power to substantially improve children’s lives. Schools, nurseries, and libraries across the nation make the day extra special for children through storytelling sessions, fancy dress, and book-related activities.
“Reading for fun is the single biggest indicator that a child will grow up to enjoy a happier and more successful life – more than their family circumstances, their parents’ educational backgrounds or their income.” — World Book Day
As part of the event, children under 18 in the UK can also receive a £1 book token. They can spend this on any one of the special World Book Day books allocated to the event. Alternatively, children can put the £1 token 
towards another full-price book or audiobook of their choice, costing £2.99 or more, from participating UK booksellers. By the way, tokens cannot be redeemed against online purchases.
The 2025 closing date for redemption of the book tokens is the 23rd of March. Don’t worry if you are too late or would like additional books for your child without incurring significant costs — you can also organise book swaps with friends, neighbours and family at any time of the year.
The ‘Read Your Way’ Approach to Children’s Reading Success
It’s important that children choose their books. That’s because this has been shown to increase the child’s enjoyment and engagement with the book. Indeed, it’s a key reason for the event’s new ‘Read Your Way’ approach. This allows children to discover and enjoy books and reading on their own terms, without judgement, pressure, or expectation. In this way, it’s reading for pleasure and puts an end to reading being perceived by little ones as ‘work’. Here are the six key ingredients of the ‘Read Your Way’ approach for children’s reading:
Find time for your little one to read.- Read with them regularly.
- Make reading fun!
- Let your child choose which book(s) to read.
- Ensure there are books at home as well as at nursery/school.
- Ensure your child has trusted help to find a suitable book.
Find time for your little one to read.The Magic of Books for Under-Fives
For young children, books aren’t just about learning to read — they’re about sparking imagination, building vocabulary, and learning to love stories. Even toddlers who can’t yet read benefit hugely from being read to, pointing at pictures, and engaging with characters in their favourite books.
Reading with your child every day, even for a few minutes, helps develop their language skills and creates a wonderful bonding experience. Plus, it sets the foundation for a lifelong love of books. That is incredibly important. Learn more about the enormous benefits of reading with children here.
How to Celebrate World Book Day with Young Children
Are you looking for ways to make World Book Day extra fun and engaging for your little one? If so, here are some simple ideas:
- Dress up as a favourite character! There’s no need for elaborate costumes; a simple hat, crown, or themed outfit inspired by a beloved book character can bring your child’s favourite stories to life.
- Create a cosy reading and storytelling corner! It’s easy to make a comfy nook with cushions, blankets, and child-safe fairy lights where you and your child can snuggle up together with a book. We even have a whole post about the wonders of a good storytelling corner or nook.
- Bring stories to life with some simple ideas like using silly voices, props, or even puppets to make storytelling extra engaging.
- Visit a library or bookshop with your child. It’s a great way to make choosing a book feel like an adventure and, as per the ‘Read Your Way’ approach for this year’s World Book Day event, ensure your child gets to pick the book.
- Make reading interactive too by asking your child questions about the pictures, encouraging them to predict what happens next, or letting them turn the pages.
- Children might also enjoy inventing and telling their own short stories. They can also get creative by designing a book cover or illustrating the unfolding story.
- If your little one has older siblings, World Book Day is also a great opportunity for them to read to their younger brother or sister. It’s a lovely bonding activity and helps build confidence in early readers.
Dress up as a favourite character! There’s no need for elaborate costumes; a simple hat, crown, or themed outfit inspired by a beloved book character can bring your child’s favourite stories to life.Make Every Day a Story Day
World Book Day is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate reading, but the love of books doesn’t have to stop there! Try to incorporate stories into your child’s daily routine, whether it’s a bedtime book, a story at lunchtime, or a quick picture book during a break. As we said before, accomplishing a love of reading in a child is the single biggest sign that they will grow up happier and more successful. So, grab a book, find a comfy spot with your child, and let the adventure begin! Happy World Book Day!
Childcare for Under-5s at Little Acorns Nursery, Hindley Green
A High-Quality Childcare Service for Babies, Toddlers & Preschoolers
Interaction with books is something we strongly encourage at Little Acorns Nursery in Hindley Green — we know just how important books and reading are to the success and happiness of the little ones. Put simply, books and reading with children supercharges them for success!
Little Acorns is a good childcare provider as confirmed by Ofsted. It’s a wonderful setting where children are nurtured in every area of their learning and development. With our approach, they become the best versions of themselves, ready to hit the ground running when they leave us to begin school. We support Government-funded childcare funding schemes too, including free childcare for children as young as just 9 months for eligible families. To apply for a place for your child at Little Acorns Nursery in Hindley Green, please get in touch today:
* Across the world, many countries celebrate World Book Day on the 23rd of April. However, the UK organisers moved the date to the first Thursday of March each year so as to avoid a clash with the Easter holidays and St George’s Day.
Families, set your diaries for the wildlife event of the year, which happens this January from Friday the 24th to Sunday the 26th inclusive. It’s free, takes just one hour, and allows children and adults to be part of the world’s biggest garden wildlife survey. During the event, families and individuals across the nation simply count the birds they spot in the garden, park, local green space, or even balcony over the course of 60 minutes. The results of hundreds of thousands of these surveys are compiled by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) to build a picture of the health of the nation’s bird populations. It’s important scientific and ecological work and children can become citizen scientists if they simply take part. Learn more about the Big Garden Birdwatch and how to take part in today’s guide for families with children.
Children will love being involved in this important nature-based activity. They’ll not only play their part in helping birds and nature, but they’ll also have fun and learn something along the way. They will discover some of the many wonderful feathered visitors who live in their neighbourhood and learn about some of the important issues affecting the natural world. They’ll begin to grasp the impact of humans on Britain’s flora and fauna and learn the importance of conservation and looking after the natural world around them. Through this endeavour, they’ll learn how they can make a positive difference. They will also become little citizen scientists! It’s fun, educational, and will give them a wonderful sense of achievement too. It may even change their outlook over the long term and help them think about their own impact on the planet, which is a wonderful outcome. And last but not least, 
Once the chosen time and date arrive, all you/your children need to do is monitor birds landing on your chosen patch. Count those that actually land rather than any flying otherwise there’s a danger that one bird could be counted multiple times. What you need to record for the survey, though, is the largest number of each bird species that have landed at any one time during the hour. So, for example, if you spot two blackbirds that have landed at the same time in the first half hour, but later in the hour you can see 4 that have landed at the same time, then you need to record “4” for blackbirds.
Once winter arrives in December and cold winds start to breathe the landscape to sleep for a season, little ones will be less inclined to venture outdoors. Parents, too, will no doubt appreciate them avoiding the rain, cold, and inclement conditions that may occur. As such, winter is the perfect time to transform dreary days and dark evenings into a haven of warmth and cosiness indoors. An enchanting children’s activity that goes hand-in-hand with this is that of storytelling. With that in mind, today’s post guides you through the delightful process of creating a Winter Storytelling Corner tailored for the youngest members of the family. A storytelling corner is a wonderful way to make these winter nights cosy, magical, and filled with high-quality shared moments. Shared 
Start by selecting a cosy corner or nook in your home – for example, a secluded and quiet space somewhere that’s away from busy activity, cold draughts and suchlike. It will need to have somewhere comfortable for you and your child(ren) to sit or ‘nest’ once you get to the storytelling part. Once you’ve found somewhere suitable, it could be adorned with soft blankets, plush cushions, and perhaps even a few twinkling fairy lights. The goal is to create an inviting spot that beckons little ones and you, their parent or caregiver, to snuggle up and feel the warmth together as the winter tales unfold.
Curate a collection of timeless winter stories that capture the spirit of the season. Consider classics like “The Snowman” by Raymond Briggs or “The Mitten” by Jan Brett. These stories, with their simple yet captivating narratives, are perfect for engaging young minds and sparking their imagination. These are just a couple of examples, though, and there are lots of winter-themed books to choose from, whether online, in book stores, in charity shops, or swapped amongst family or friends.
Perhaps incorporate simple props that relate to the story. If the tale involves animals, have soft toy animals on hand for little ones to interact with as the story unfolds. Other alternatives are hand puppets and finger puppets. Try using them to act out characters from the stories as you read them, or get your child to do so. Adding an interactive and visual element in this way will encourage children to participate actively and immerse themselves in the storytelling process. This approach can be creative, captivating, and sometimes even comical. As such, this is very entertaining for children and will help to make the whole activity enjoyable and fulfilling.
In the journey of childhood development, there is a simple yet powerful tool that supercharges learning, imagination and even life outcomes: reading with your child. While a magical connection with books is a cherished tradition in many families, it is also a proven way to optimise a child’s cognitive and emotional development — and even to give some a social boost. With that in mind, we explore today the incredible benefits of reading with children in the early years and learn how study after study has proven how transformational it is to their lives.
One of the most notable benefits of early reading is the rapid expansion of a child’s vocabulary. Indeed, research suggests that children who are exposed to a diverse range of words in books tend to perform better in language assessments, spelling, and overall literacy development. With reading to children opening up whole new worlds of information and vocabulary to them, this positive outcome makes total sense.
Reading with children also contributes to the development of enhanced empathy and emotional intelligence. Stories often feature characters experiencing a variety of emotions, and by engaging with these stories, children learn to empathise and connect with the feelings of others. That’s because exposure to complex characters and their emotional experiences in books helps children better understand and relate to the emotions of people in their real lives.
Reading is not just about the words on the page; it’s also about the quality time you spend together. The connection you build during reading sessions is priceless, fostering stronger bonds between you and your child.
Autumn’s arrival means that Halloween is just around the corner, coming on the 31st of October each year. The run-up to that date is a great time to start preparing for some fun Halloween activities for children to take part in. Whether dressing up for Halloween-themed parties, putting carved pumpkin lanterns and spooky decorations out at night, or playing Trick or treat locally, children of all ages will find Halloween a time of unique fun! It’s also a great opportunity for children to strengthen bonds with friends and for families to start getting creative! With that in mind, here are our top picks for spooktacular Halloween activities for kids!
Dressing up in Halloween costumes is hugely popular amongst children. While purchasing costumes from stores is quick and easy, encouraging children to make their own Halloween costumes (with adult supervision) is likely to be not only cheaper but also much more fun. They’ll also be able to get creative and learn new skills in the process.
Kids will also love dressing up as spiders. All they need is some black tights — or a pair of skinny trousers — and a black top that’s belted at the waist and then stuffed to make the ‘spider body’ fat. Extra spider legs can be made by stuffing more black tights and attaching them to the belt.
Your children can take this a step further and add Halloween-themed food into the mix, so there’s something to nibble too!
The Halloween tradition of ‘tick or treating’ has its roots in Medieval times. It is a playful remnant of the practice of “souling,” where the poor would go door-to-door during what was then known as ‘Allhallowtide’ (around All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day) asking for food in exchange for prayers for the deceased. Over the years, this evolved into what we now know as Trick or treat. Children, usually in full Halloween fancy dress, knock on neighbourhood doors and say Trick or treat? Then, homeowners typically give them sweets or other treats — or become the target of a playful trick from the children! It’s great fun for little ones, especially if one or more neighbourhood parents can organise the evening in advance. By doing so, the neighbours are warned and can opt out if they prefer. In this way, lots of fun, laughter and treats will ensue and nobody gets a trick that they weren’t expecting!
Many towns and villages will have ‘pumpkin patches’ during October. These are typically found on local farms and similar that set a field aside, chock-full of pumpkins. Families can come along and children will be able to scour the field and pick their favourite pumpkin. They can take it home in exchange, usually, for an affordable fee. Such pumpkin patches often also have wonderful photo opportunities where children can pose amongst pumpkin displays. In this way, children enjoy a morning or afternoon activity at the farm and end up with a hand-picked pumpkin too.
Hollowing out and carving spooky and creative faces into pumpkins is a classic Halloween activity enjoyed by thousands of families each year. For safety purposes, supervising adults will need to do any carving, though, as it’ll likely involve the use of a sharp knife. They can also loosen the seeds and flesh and then, if able, children can help to scoop it out. Once hollowed out and eyes, nose and mouth have been carved, children can have great fun decorating the outside and turning the pumpkin into a lantern using tea lights (again, under adult supervision or using LED lights for safety purposes). Nothing quite says ‘Halloween’ like a pumpkin face that glows in the garden at night. Children will naturally love the whole experience, end result, and feeling of accomplishment associated with this activity.
Families can combine all or just some of these Halloween activities into one event by hosting their very own Halloween party for friends, relatives and neighbours. With spooky fancy dress costumes, Halloween-themed decorations, flickering pumpkin lanterns, and themed food and drinks, it’s sure to be huge fun and a spooktacular evening for everyone! Ghostly music and ghoulish games can be added to the event too, perhaps along with a period where children and adults can tell spooky stories and ghost tales. What’s not to love?
At Little Acorns Nursery in Hindley Green, we’re embracing Hygge (pronounced “Hue-gah”), which is becoming very popular around the globe. But what is Hygge and why are we embracing it? This article explains everything and you’ll soon see why Hygge is a very good thing for everyone at the nursery, including both children and staff. Take a look …
Hygge has been described as resulting in “comfortable conviviality” i.e. friendliness and warmth that makes everyone feel welcome and happy. It’s also been described as “the pursuit of everyday happiness … basically like a hug, just without the physical touch.”
There will be twinkly ‘mood’ lighting instead of harsh fluorescent lighting. Rooms will have real plants that bring nature indoors, natural materials and objects like wood, wicker, pine cones and pebbles. There will be calming music and perhaps even scent in the air. There will be cosy corners, dens and even teepees where children can ‘nest’ while they read, play or converse. Hygge gives a room a lovely atmosphere, often with flickering candles (or, at the nursery, the warm-coloured LED equivalents, for safety purposes).
Embracing all these aspects of Hygge will make children feel really at home, safe, relaxed, cosy and content. Their day will feel fulfilling and enriched. It will be calm and peaceful whilst also embracing nature both outside and indoors. Friendships will deepen as small groups of children play, converse, read or simply ‘be’ in the many cosy nooks and dens available to them. They are also free to have some solo time where they can explore a particular interest, relax with a book or engage in an activity in a calm and comfortable corner. Whatever they’re doing, children will enjoy and benefit from the mood lighting, calming surroundings, relaxing music and suchlike.
Hygge is like a warm cloak that softly embraces every child, allowing him or her to quietly blossom, learn and develop in the most homely and relaxed of atmospheres. With Hygge, they can embrace and naturally absorb everything that’s so good about the Hygge lifestyle, including it’s almost magical effects that will bring out the wonder in every child. Hygge instinctively appeals to a child’s very heart and soul, allowing their learning and development to blossom and thrive in the most natural of ways.
gives babies, toddlers and preschoolers the very best start in life and in their early years education. If you are looking for
