Busy Bees nursery at Wandsworth is inviting families and parents from their local community to join staff and children for a week of magical storytelling.

The Smugglers Way-based nursery is taking part in a national campaign, named ‘Bringing Stories to Life’, from Monday 16th January to Friday 20th January, which aims to show parents how they can really make reading magical and make the most of story time at home with their children.

The campaign is backed by several partners including Ladybird Books, acclaimed children’s author Ian Whybrow and Usborne Books.

During the week-long campaign, parents are being invited into the nursery to take part in a themed activity each day, all of which are designed to show the different techniques involved in storytelling and reading.

This includes a ‘share a story’ day on Tuesday 17th January 2017 where local Usborne Book representatives will visit the nursery to read some of their all-time favourite stories with children, and parents can earn book tokens for their local Busy Bees nursery.

Parents can also get involved in a national competition which challenges those that visit Busy Bees at Wandsworth to write their very own short stories in partnership with children and staff.

The winning entry will receive an exclusive masterclass and book signing session with Ian Whybrow at their local Busy Bees nursery and an exclusive prize bundle from Ladybird Books.

Evelyn Herrera, nursery manager at Busy Bees in Wandsworth, said: “We’re really excited to welcome parents and families into the nursery. It promises to be a fun week and there will be many opportunities to share some of the ways we use storytelling and reading to enhance children’s learning on a day-to-day basis, as well as the chance for parents to get involved in some of their own storytelling and tell us which books they enjoyed reading most as a child.”

Lisa Snell, Early Years Director at Busy Bees, explains: “We understand that parents lead busy lives and it’s not always possible to read every day with your child. However, it has been proven that children who are read to at an early age in life are more likely to excel with their numeracy, literacy and language skills as they get older. The ‘Bringing Stories to Life’ campaign is not about telling parents they should read more with their children, it’s an opportunity to give parents and families a fresh outlook on how they can make reading time magical with a clear link to supplementing their child’s learning at nursery. “The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum, which underpins our learning through play and pre-school education, means that our nursery practitioners are constantly measuring the attainment levels of children in nursery for their communication and language and social skills. Reading is a truly magical gift and we want more children to develop a love of reading that they will carry on throughout their lives.”

Busy Bees nursery in Wandsworth is part of the award winning Busy Bees nursery group, the UK’s largest provider of quality childcare. To book a visit during the week, call the nursery manager on 0208 877 1135 or go to https://www.busybeeschildcare.co.uk/nursery/wandsworth. You can find out more about the Bringing Stories to Life campaign by visiting the Busy Bees website.

Based on information supplied by .