Skill 1:
Getting ready to book share
Start
On your lap...
...or side by side
How to sit with your child
Sit comfortably and closely together
So you can see what your child is looking at
At a 45 degree angle
Transcript
When children and parents focus on the same thing, it helps....
Support language skills
Develop social skills
Transcript
Give your child freedom with the book
Allow your child to hold the book if they want to
Does not matter what order they explore it in
Let them go back and forwards as they like
Transcript
Give your child freedom with the book
Allow them to explore it as a physical object
Sucking or biting is ok - it's how babies learn!
May feel strange to allow them to do this at first but it's normal in the beginning
Transcript
Seeing the skills in action...
Transcript
Give your child freedom with the book
Here is an example of how to give your child freedom with the book and support them to hold it themselves:
Click through the pictures to see how in the clip, mum allows and supports her child to...
Younger children...
Not all children will be able to hold the book yet
Support them to hold the book whilst giving them free reign
If your child can't turn the pages yet, can support them to do this
Transcript
Younger children...
Be patient - allow them to explore at their own pace
Allow them to do as much as they can by themselves
Follow their interests and share them with them
Transcript
Summary
Click through the slides below to recap Skill 1
Quiz
Well done!
You have completed Skill 1!
Skill 2 is now unlocked...
Return to homepage
Celebrate!
Book sharing is all about giving your child freedom with the book and following what they want to do with it. Allow your child to hold the book if they want to. It doesn’t matter what order they explore the book in or if they want to keep going back to the same pages.
Let’s start off with how to sit with your child! It’s important to sit comfortably and closely together - they can sit on your lap or by your side and this can be on the sofa or on the floor - wherever you feel most relaxed. However you do it, the most important thing is to make sure that you can see what your child is looking at, so you can talk about this with your child and help them enjoy the book. The ideal position is to have your child seated at a 45 degree angle. For example, you can see in this picture that the child and mum can both see the book and mum can also see what her child is looking at in the book.
Let them explore it as a physical object. Babies often explore new things with their mouths which means they may want to suck or bite the books - this is also ok. We know that biting books is a natural impulse for babies, they learn a lot from it, and they will stop doing this as they get older. It may feel strange or scary letting your child handle books in this way at first, but it is normal for young children to treat books as a toy or object in the beginning.
Through the programme we will be looking at some videos showing examples of key book sharing techniques. These videos will give you a chance to see how book sharing could work, but we are not suggesting they are perfect models by any means. We know things won’t always go to plan when you try these skills out yourself so please don’t worry! The most important thing is giving it a go and seeing what works for you and your child. You will find your own style of book sharing that suits you both.
You may need to be quite patient and allow your child to find out about the book in their own time and at their own pace. It’s nice to allow your child to do as much as they can by themselves. The main thing about good book sharing is showing your child that you are supporting them by following their interests and sharing them with them.
Not all young children will be able to hold the book on their own yet. You can support them to hold the book, whilst still giving them free reign over how they use the book. If your child can not turn the pages by themself yet, you can also support them to do this. For example, you can see in these pictures how Mum is helping her child to hold the book and is also helping her to separate and turn the pages with her fingers.
The position that you sit in is really important because when parents and children focus on the same thing, it helps children develop their language and social skills.
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Eloise Stevens
Created on December 24, 2025
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Transcript
Skill 1:
Getting ready to book share
Start
On your lap...
...or side by side
How to sit with your child
Sit comfortably and closely together
So you can see what your child is looking at
At a 45 degree angle
Transcript
When children and parents focus on the same thing, it helps....
Support language skills
Develop social skills
Transcript
Give your child freedom with the book
Allow your child to hold the book if they want to
Does not matter what order they explore it in
Let them go back and forwards as they like
Transcript
Give your child freedom with the book
Allow them to explore it as a physical object
Sucking or biting is ok - it's how babies learn!
May feel strange to allow them to do this at first but it's normal in the beginning
Transcript
Seeing the skills in action...
Transcript
Give your child freedom with the book
Here is an example of how to give your child freedom with the book and support them to hold it themselves:
Click through the pictures to see how in the clip, mum allows and supports her child to...
Younger children...
Not all children will be able to hold the book yet
Support them to hold the book whilst giving them free reign
If your child can't turn the pages yet, can support them to do this
Transcript
Younger children...
Be patient - allow them to explore at their own pace
Allow them to do as much as they can by themselves
Follow their interests and share them with them
Transcript
Summary
Click through the slides below to recap Skill 1
Quiz
Well done!
You have completed Skill 1!
Skill 2 is now unlocked...
Return to homepage
Celebrate!
Book sharing is all about giving your child freedom with the book and following what they want to do with it. Allow your child to hold the book if they want to. It doesn’t matter what order they explore the book in or if they want to keep going back to the same pages.
Let’s start off with how to sit with your child! It’s important to sit comfortably and closely together - they can sit on your lap or by your side and this can be on the sofa or on the floor - wherever you feel most relaxed. However you do it, the most important thing is to make sure that you can see what your child is looking at, so you can talk about this with your child and help them enjoy the book. The ideal position is to have your child seated at a 45 degree angle. For example, you can see in this picture that the child and mum can both see the book and mum can also see what her child is looking at in the book.
Let them explore it as a physical object. Babies often explore new things with their mouths which means they may want to suck or bite the books - this is also ok. We know that biting books is a natural impulse for babies, they learn a lot from it, and they will stop doing this as they get older. It may feel strange or scary letting your child handle books in this way at first, but it is normal for young children to treat books as a toy or object in the beginning.
Through the programme we will be looking at some videos showing examples of key book sharing techniques. These videos will give you a chance to see how book sharing could work, but we are not suggesting they are perfect models by any means. We know things won’t always go to plan when you try these skills out yourself so please don’t worry! The most important thing is giving it a go and seeing what works for you and your child. You will find your own style of book sharing that suits you both.
You may need to be quite patient and allow your child to find out about the book in their own time and at their own pace. It’s nice to allow your child to do as much as they can by themselves. The main thing about good book sharing is showing your child that you are supporting them by following their interests and sharing them with them.
Not all young children will be able to hold the book on their own yet. You can support them to hold the book, whilst still giving them free reign over how they use the book. If your child can not turn the pages by themself yet, you can also support them to do this. For example, you can see in these pictures how Mum is helping her child to hold the book and is also helping her to separate and turn the pages with her fingers.
The position that you sit in is really important because when parents and children focus on the same thing, it helps children develop their language and social skills.