Barnardo's wants to see all children thriving, regardless of their background, and engaging in the world around them. One of the best ways for children to develop is the 5toThrive approach: reading and being read to.

The 5toThrive approach is all about promoting good brain development in the first five years of life, and talking to children is a fundamental part of the approach. Reading with little ones doesn't just provide a great opportunity for talking and listening, it also offers a chance to promote close contact and develops an interest in reading in later life.

Reading is a great way to talk to young children too. Looking at a book together helps to focus babies eyes, to concentrate, and to think in a logical way.

Research shows that the way children's language develops by the time they're two is the strongest measure of their future success, and that is directly linked to the words a child hears. Children from homes where they're in a positive learning environment are likely to have heard 45 million words by the time they are four - in contrast, those from homes with a poorer learning environment are likely to have only heard 13 million words in the same period.