It's never too early to start reading

• What is Giggle & Wiggle?
• When is Giggle & Wiggle?
• Bookstart for Babies
• Download a simple colouring sheet of a baby crawling (PDF 292 KB) or a baby reading (PDF 295 KB)

A love of books is a gift for life 

• Get ready! Choose a cosy, quiet place and a book, rhyme or song that you and your baby will enjoy. Don’t worry if you feel a little shy at first. The more you practice the better you will become.
• Babies love the sound of your voice so turn off the TV or radio so they can hear you.
• Make a routine and try to share a book every day. But if your baby is bored or fretful, try again when they are in the mood.
• Point to the pictures and talk about things in them that your baby knows. Choose familiar things, for example a dog or a ball, as this will build up your baby’s understanding of words.
• Your baby will soon learn about books – start at the front and turn the pages to keep the story going. They will soon be turning pages and trying to talk.
• The exact words of the story don’t matter; even if you feel that you’re not a good reader, it’s your voice and closeness that count, so don’t worry!
• Try out funny voices and sounds, play and have fun! Babies love to be tickled and bounced along to a rhyme or story.
• Babies love to hear the same story over and over again; it helps them to remember what comes next.
• Remember, books are not just for bedtime so take a book with you when you go shopping or in the car.
• Language learning is not just about books - when you're out in the garden or shopping, point to objects and signs and talk to your baby about them. 

Giggle & Wiggle

Giggle & Wiggle is about learning through language play - using interactive rhymes, songs, games and stories specifically chosen for children aged 0-2 years and their parents.

Session content is repetitive to help with language development. Giggle & Wiggle includes:

• Alphabet recognition
• Shapes
• Colours
• Numbers

There is a lot of repetition - the same or similar content - as this is an important way for young children to learn. It also helps babies and parents to participate by singing along and responding to questions.

When is Giggle & Wiggle? 

Giggle & Wiggle runs for approximately thirty minutes, and is held during school terms. The times and locations are listed below.

Giggle & Wiggle resumes in February 2012.

Please note: The Dickson and Erindale sessions replace what were previously two story time sessions. Those branches continue to have story time on two other days each week.

Bookstart for Babies

Language, literacy, and learning is a key part of child development from birth.

The library began its Bookstart for Babies program in the ACT in mid-2003, and it is affiliated with the original UK Bookstart program. Bookstart for Babies encourages parents to share books with their children from an early age.

Who is eligible for a Bookstart bag?

Parents of newborn babies receive a Bookstart library bag when their child is immunised at the age of four months.

The bags are made available to parents through the baby health clinics at the four-month immunisation visit. Parents whose babies are immunised by their local doctors can collect their Bookstart bags at any of the public libraries in the ACT. Bookstart bags are only available to babies immunised in the ACT. 

The Bookstart library bag contains a board book, activity booklet, library information, and other information of interest to parents.

History of Bookstart

Bookstart was established in the United Kingdom in 1992, and more information about its origins can be found on the official Bookstart and Booktrust websites.