Bump Booster – giving every child the best start in life even before they are born! - a toolkit
This toolkit has been commissioned by ASCEL to support the very first stage of a child’s library journey as set out in The Children’s Promise.
Why songs and rhymes?
Babies in the womb can hear their parents and the world around them. Parents can give their child an early start by singing and talking to their bump:
- Talk to your bump
- Your baby can hear you from 18 weeks
- Talking to your bump helps your baby to get ahead with speaking and listening.
- Read to your bump
- Your baby remembers noises from the womb,
- Hearing your familiar voice helps to comfort your baby after birth
- Bond with your bump
- Reading and singing to your bump helps you to bond with your baby
- Help your baby get to know you
What’s in the toolkit?
If you work with parents or are a parent or parent-to-be, there are lots of things in this toolkit for you.
Have a look for yourself and share with other people you work with!
There are sections for library staff and other staff who work with families and sections for parents-to-be.
The staff section includes key messages, good practice examples, how to get started talking to parents to be, a flier to download and tips on organising sessions for parents to be.
Parents-to-be can read more about why talking and singing works, learn new rhymes and songs from a list recommended by other parents and get hints and tips about singing and talking with their bump.
How to use the toolkit
The toolkit supports library staff in understanding the science behind ‘bump boosting’ and to be confident in talking to parents to be and partners. The toolkit contains key messages from ASCEL and supports the Children’s Promise. The toolkit helps to identify key partners, suggestions for organising sessions for parents-to-be and provides a jargon buster for the world of babies and toddlers. It can be read on-line and tools can also be downloaded.
The toolkit is designed to support parents to gain confidence in singing and talking to their baby. There are links to rhymes which can be listened to on-line (including rhymes in Polish and Urdu). Most of the rhymes included are often sung at parent and toddler groups and playgroups, so first time parents will be familiar with them when taking their baby along.
More Bump Boosting ideas from the BBC Tiny Happy People website.
Click Me Working with Parents to be Click Me Ideas for Parents to be Click Me Rhymes for Parents to be