Bookbug

Bookbug is Scotland's universal early years book gifting programme which supports families to read, sing, and play with their little ones from birth to give them the best start in life.

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What are the benefits of the Bookbug Bags?

Sharing stories, songs and rhymes with babies and young children has many benefits including supporting children’s language, learning and social skills. It’s fun, free and simple, and the benefits will last their lifetime.

The Bookbug Bags and Bookbug Sessions support families to do more of these activities, which help build bonds and develop relationships and most importantly, are fun.

What's in the Bookbug Bags?

Bookbug gives every child in Scotland four free bags of books as babies, toddlers, three and five year olds. The bags contain books and other resources for sharing songs and rhymes that are suited to their age.

Gaelic Bookbug Bags are also available.

For children with additional support needs, Bookbug offers tactile books in addition to the Bookbug Bags.

You can find more information about the bags on the Scottish Book Trust’s website.

What if I have twins or more?

If you have twins, triplets or more they’ll each get their own Bookbug bag. You may find that they prefer different books or activities in the bag, so the bags provide a good opportunity to explore this while spending some one-on-one time with each of your children.

Bookbug Sessions

You can bring your little one to free story, song and rhyme sessions at your local library or community venue. Going to a Bookbug Session is a great way for families to spend time bonding with each other and meet other families. Bookbug Sessions can also help to build children’s social skills and support their speech and language development.

Find out more information about Bookbug Sessions and where they are held on the Scottish Book Trust website and Bookbug app.

Bookbug app

The Bookbug app is free to download and use, with no hidden costs or adverts. It’s designed for the whole family to use together with hundreds of children’s songs, nursery rhymes and videos to explore. There is a special ‘grown-up’ area for parents with tips from early years experts and a Session Finder to locate the nearest local Bookbug Session. You can find out more about the Bookbug app here.