Sharing stories becomes a tool for nurture and connection – opening up conversations, regulating emotions and reinforcing self-worth for children who may have experienced disruption or trauma.

We all know how powerful reading can be. But in the context of kinship care families, where relatives or friends care for a child because their parents aren’t able to, the benefits of reading are even more profound.

“Sometimes I struggle reading with my daughter," said one mum. "But here, I can get an idea of how I can sit with her and read a story." Another added: "My son was really going for it and getting involved... We’ll definitely be coming again. We wish it was on longer. We’d come every week.”

5. Stronger partnerships created a lasting legacy. The project brought together libraries, family hubs, creative practitioners and cultural partners around a shared goal of exploring the impact of creative storytelling for children aged 0-2 - including some new, ongoing partnerships.

4. Practitioners gained confidence and new approaches to storytelling. The pilot supported 20 library and early years practitioners through training and shared learning opportunities delivered by the artists – and they later described feeling more confident and more able to be creative.

3. High-quality book ownership extended the impact of the storytelling sessions. The artists used books expertly selected by BookTrust as the basis for planning their storytelling. Families received copies of the books to take home and consistently said this was a positive experience for them.

2. Families felt more confident to share books and be creative at home. The project successfully gave families practical ideas they could use to help nurture their child’s creativity and relationship with stories at home.

1. Including live music, sound effects, movement, puppets, and sensory play in storytelling was engaging for children and families. Parents and carers described the sessions as “creative” and “fun” and it supported participation among families who speak English as an additional language.

We're so excited about this year's edition! Thanks so much for sharing it.

📚 Research shows that reading and sharing stories supports bonding, stability, identity, wellbeing, social and emotional growth and attainment. In many ways, reading can be seen as a protective factor against the adversity some children experience.

"Books bring us together" 🩵 As Kinship Care Week kicks off, we're sharing our short film Stories That Connect Us, based on real conversations with children in adoption, foster care or kinship care. It captures some beautiful moments between families, showing just how powerful sharing books can be.

So happy about this 👏

You're very welcome!