For parents and carers

Start by exploring the CD Rom - click on the various 'hotspots' - these appear as you glide the cursor across the screen - and they will lead you to different sections which concentrate on the various ways in which you can include books and reading in your child's life.

The cat will keep you on the straight and narrow...

Why books?
For example, if you click on the TV or the mum and dad watching from the sofa, you will have access to a number of videos in which parents, aunts and uncles and children explain why they enjoy sharing books and the different approaches they use. Click on the remote control to select the subjects you want to find out more about.

Bright Ideas
Click on the adult and child in the kitchen and explore the 31 bright ideas (one for every day of the month) which have come from parents and carers from all over Scotland. Sharing books with children should be enjoyable and fun - and these bright ideas all have those attributes in common. Why not print your favourites off and give them to friends and relatives? And if you have any new bright ideas, email them to us on info@readtogether.co.uk and we'll post them on the Read Together! website.

Great Books
Whether you click on the bookcase in the living room, or head off through the door in the kitchen to the library, you'll find yourself surrounded by a splendid selection of books. We've organised them into age-ranges, but don't feel you have to stick exactly to your child's age. Children like to explore new books, and of course they love returning to old favourites. All these books should be available through your local library - but if not, your librarian will be able to suggest an alternative. And if you want to buy them, your local bookshop will be able to help. Remember to email us some new recommendations so that we can post them on the website for others to see.

Reading Together
The door to the left of the bookshelf leads to a child's bedroom - complete with a rather magical hamster! Although we can read with children at any time, bedtime reading is one of the most enjoyable and relaxing opportunities. You'll be able to listen to a parent and child talking to each other about the books they are reading. Sharing books isn't just about reading the words aloud!

Games
Children who enjoy sharing stories benefit in all kinds of ways. They are introduced to new words and, through the stories they're reading, they experience all kinds of different situations. Books help children to think about the world around them, and to make sense of it. And of course, talking about what they think with parents and carers helps to confirm their thoughts and to allay fears. They also become good communicators, and this game is all about those basic units of communication - words. Spelling is a skill that children gradually build through reading and writing. Here they risk a soaking in ghastly green gunge - but only in the virtual sense - if they choose the wrong word, or the wrong letters to spell it.

Useful Links
There are lots of different aspects to reading with children, and in this section you will find contact details for a wide range of organisations. And if you come across others, please let us know so that we can tell others through the Read Together! website.

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