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We look at the quality of care in Scotland to ensure it meets high standards. When improvement is needed, we support services to make positive changes.

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Nicole Torrens, from Edinburgh Early Years Team, spotlights the importance of Children's Rights in the Early Years and shares some new materials to support this.

Since its introduction in 1989, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) has inspired countless books, articles and resources to help educators learn and teach about children's rights. However, much to the frustration of Early Years Practitioners across the UK, a high percentage of the literature produced around children's rights tends to exclusively focus on Primary and Secondary aged children. An apparent scarcity of UNCRC resources created specifically for Early Years can perpetuate the myth that rights are something children have to wait until primary school to learn about, or, force Early Years practitioners to try and adapt or 'water-down' resources and activities designed for much older children. Sadly, both approaches often lead to missed opportunities and superficial learning around children's rights.

"The early years are a critical period for realising Children's Rights." United Nations

Early Years are Critical

Since the UNCRC came into force, the Committee on the Rights of the Child has identified specific issues that require further clarification from the original document. General Comment No.7 was adopted in 2005 in response to the observation by the UNCRC that the rights and capabilities of young children were being entirely overlooked due to perceptions of immaturity. Within this follow-up document, the Committee clarified that "the early years are a critical period for realising children's rights" (United Nations 2006, p. 3) and decreed that even the very youngest children be respected as active members of families and communities, with their own concerns, interests and points of view.

"Before young children are able to understand the abstract concept of 'having rights' or talk about rights, they need direct experience of their rights being met, enacted and prioritised within their everyday interactions, spaces and experiences."

Padlet of Resources

To help Early Years Practitioners meet this requirement and access the modest but growing canon of literature around children's rights in the Early Years, The City of Edinburgh Council (CEC) Early Years Team has collated a bank of online resources, in hopes of establishing a one-stop shop for promoting a rights-based approach in Early Years. To access the site, pleases visit here

Learning through Rights

In addition to this, CEC's Early Years Team have also created their own guidance documents to help practitioners engage with UNCRC articles and develop an understanding of how they weave through national guidance and translate into meaningful, everyday experiences for young children and babies. The key messages within these documents do not claim to be anything new, but rather highlight the link between the rights of the child and what is often referred to as 'best practice' in Early Years.

"Rights are not an add on, they are woven through every aspect of the ethos and provision of the service. Staff interactions with children are loving and caring and support children to understand their rights, not as an activity to be planned but as an everyday experience." Doreen Watson (Care Inspectorate)

New Guidance Documents

Embedding the UNCRC and strengthening rights-based approaches among Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) providers is a current priority within Edinburgh's Early Years Improvement Framework 2021-24. However, for practitioners working directly with young children, the challenge of promoting children's rights in a way that is age and stage appropriate can often be daunting, particularly for those working with very young or non-verbal children. Using UNICEF's helpful distinction between learning about rights and learning through rights, the CEC's guidance document 'Learning Through Rights in the Early Years: Weaving the UNCRC through Policy, Provision and Everyday Practice' recommends that from an Early Years perspective, learning and teaching through rights should take priority until a child is developmentally ready to grasp the concept of rights.

'Before young children are able to understand the abstract concept of 'having rights' or talk about rights, they need direct experience of their rights being met, enacted and prioritised within their everyday interactions, spaces and experiences." (Learning Through Rights in the Early Years, pg.2)

While the main document provides helpful guidance and examples of how young children and babies can experience and learn through their rights, there is also a separate reflection tool to help ELC settings evaluation their current provision and practice through an UNCRC lens. Both documents are currently available to download on CEC - Edinburgh Early Years Teams page or via their UNCRC resource bank (first column - key documents).

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Getting Rights 'Right' in the Early Years - Stride - online magazine for global citizenship in schools

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Nicole Torrens, from Edinburgh Early Years Team, spotlights the importance of Children's Rights in the Early Years and shares some new materials to support this.

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An Introduction to Children’s Human Rights and a Rights-based Approach

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The Children and Young People's Commissioner Scotland

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All children have rights, and that includes babies and very young children.

All children have rights, and that includes babies and very young children.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) expresses these rights within the framework of children's lives and experiences. The rights in the UNCRC are linked together and support each other - so supporting one right, like the right to participate in play, promotes other rights including the right to be heard, to free expression, to development and to education.

Long before young children can understand the concept of children's rights, they can develop a sense of their own agency. Babies and very young children can develop this through relationships with parents and carers, and through their surroundings and environment. Their experience of these early relationships will influence their sense of self, how they view others and how they respond to their environment.

Babies and very young children need to be supported by the adults that care for them to make their own decisions and to be listened to. They need to feel that their ideas, thoughts and decisions are respected.

They are finding out about their rights through how others treat them. They are learning about expressing themselves, their interdependence with others, how valued they are. They are also learning about sharing, making choices and their place in the world.

Early childhood is a critical period for the realisation of rights and good early years experiences increase the chances of children being able to realise their rights through childhood.

Human rights for 0-2s

What's most important at this age?

The most important relationship in a baby's life is the one with their parents or carers. A child's survival and growth depends on the care and nurturing the child receives within the family. Love and responsive care, accepting relationships and being involved in everyday routines are important for babies. This is how they begin to make sense of the world.

Babies can express their interests through gaze, movement, facial expressions, noises and sounds. It is important that they are given the opportunities to make decisions and to express themselves as they begin to realise their rights. They can do this through exploration and play, by being offered and making choices and by being allowed to participate freely. They need to develop a sense of their own agency and show their individual personality.

Human rights for 3-5s

What's most important at this age?

This is the perfect starting point to engage young children in discussion and to increase awareness of their own rights. They can learn how to build relationships, become responsible, manage their moods, develop a feelings vocabulary, make good choices, solve problems and feel that they and others belong.

Play is an important part of any very young child's life. It can help them learn to move, share, negotiate and to take on board others' points of view. It can give them a chance to make decisions, express themselves, develop a sense of agency and show their individual personality. Article 31 of the UNCRC says that children have the right to relax, play and take part in artistic and cultural activities. Play is essential to the health and wellbeing of children and is the main way that very young children can engage with their rights.

Article 12 of the UNCRC says that children have the right to have opinions and for these opinions to matter. It says that the opinions of children should be considered when adults make decisions about them. As holders of rights even the youngest children have a right to express their view. By the age of 3 most children can communicate ideas and thoughts in words. They also communicate through play, body language, facial expression, drawing and painting. They are able to make choices, express preferences and demonstrate an understanding of their environment.

It is the responsibility of adults to provide opportunities for children to express their views. Adapting the child's interests, levels of understanding and preferred ways of communicating.

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How a parent or carer can respect a very young child's human rights and engage with these from an early age.

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With support from the Cattanach Trust, the Year of Childhood specifically focused on the Early Years Sector, namely identifying and amplifying good practice in early years settings. highlighting impact for children, families and communities. By engaging parents/carers in conversations/webinars around the importance of embedding children's rights in their earliest years and identifying good practice internationally via a webinar series, we highlighted the challenges and opportunities of embedding children's rights in the early years and encouraged new contacts (parents/carers, professionals) to join the wider Unfeartie network.

Our discussions, checklist and observations were focused on what a rights-based approach would be. We concluded that the foundation of rights-based practice is the following 5 pillars:

Rights-based relationships are based on kindness, empathy, trust, and belief in the human dignity of each and every one of us.

In your practice, how would you describe the relationships you have with children? Or the relationships you help foster between children?

How do you support children to thrive?

How do you think relationships in a setting can support the rights of the child?

When we talk about 'agency' it means that a person has a level of control and a positive sense of who they are.

We want children in early years' settings to develop a strong sense of who they are and to feel they can have and express their preferences, likes, dislikes, opinions.

What have you seen, or done, in an early years setting that would support children with things like having their say, being part of planning, leading activities, being recognised as an individual?

The concept of rights can be challenging for our youngest learners. It is important though that we help children to develop an understanding that their rights are central to everyday experiences and relationships.

Children might begin to develop an understanding that they have the right to be safe, to play, to be loved.

How could you help children understand their rights? You could think about how you or other adults interact with children, or perhaps some of the activities or resources you use.

When we think about how we promote, protect and fulfil the rights of children we need to remember how important we are as the adults in the room.

How would you describe the kind of person you are in your work with children?

How do you think children would describe you?

What personal qualities, behaviours, knowledge and experiences do you bring to help you be a champion for children's rights?

What are your expectations of other adults in the setting when it comes to how they are with children and indeed with each other?

To help us promote, protect and fulfil the rights of children we need to be able to talk about rights, to use the word rights and be clear it is what we are interested in. If we work to understand the 5 pillars we can begin to build confidence to use words that help us be clear about our commitment to the rights of the child.

How confident do you feel about talking about the rights of the child with other adults in the early years setting?

How confident do you feel to talk with children about their rights?

Can you think about examples of how you have or could talk with others about rights?

For full learning of these 5 pillars, register for a free account on our eLearning Hub and choose Early Years as your area of interest.
We have created a poster of the 5 Pillars, please find this to download and print for your setting here:

We invited feedback from practitioners who took part in our webinar series to help identify gaps in practice and guidance required. Examples of this are shown below and highlight that while there is a passion for rights in the Early Years Sector, guidance is still sought in how to implement this in the best way.

We filmed three different Early-Years settings, and interviewed their staff members to discover what a rights-based approach to Early Years looks and feels like in practice.

When you watch the three films from FossoPLAY, Cowgate Under 5's and Banchory Primary School's Nursery in Tullibody, which of the five pillars can you see at play?

We have developed a checklist mapping UNCRC articles along with GIRFEC and examples for corresponding evidence. You can download our checklist to print here:
https://www.childrensparliament.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Early-Years-Settings-Checklist-Childrens-Parliament-2022.pdf
Incorporation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) will bring multiple challenges as the country grasps this opportunity to make our society more inclusive and safer for all. One such challenge is that of baby and infant 'voice' and participation in decision making. Children's Parliament and NSPCC are keen to draw attention to this issue. As such, within our Year of Childhood programme, we hosted a conversation to consider these opportunities and challenges.

To kickstart this dialogue, we invited Professor Kay Tisdall of Edinburgh University, and Julia Donaldson of Glasgow's Infant and Family Team (GIFT) to share their reflections with us on the following question:

"What kind of changes, tools and practices are needed in the system to allow infants' voices to be meaningfully heard and understood in decision making, given the incorporation of UNCRC into Scots Law?"

The following videos capture the conversations that were first shared on Tuesday 29 th June, the tenth anniversary of the Christie Commission. The issue itself is too broad to resolve through these short videos, so we want to assure you that this discussion is an introduction to a larger conversation. We are planning a sector-wide, live-panel discussion, join the Unfearties and we'll keep you updated on this.

The full discussions between Carmel, Julia and Kay can be watched in the playlist below.

The snippets below are provided to highlight specific points in the discussions and to share with your networks.

Our speakers

Julia Donaldson has a background as a clinical psychologist and is currently the Clinical Director of GIFT. The Glasgow Infant and Family Team (GIFT) is a multidisciplinary infant mental health team. Julia and her team work with children aged between 0 and 5 years old who are in kinship care and foster care.

Kay Tisdall is a Professor of Childhood Policy at the University of Edinburgh. She is part of the childhood and youth studies research group and her own policy and academic interests are in children's human rights. She works collaboratively with children, young people and others on research projects addressing participation, in such fields as early childhood learning, domestic abuse and family law.

Carmel Faulkner is the Unfearties Project Lead at Children's Parliament. Her background is in education - specifically early years. Her experience includes leading nursery schools and children's centres. She has an MA in Early Childhood Studies and is currently undertaking her PhD with the Centre for Children's Rights at Queen's University Belfast. Her research seeks to understand the transformative potential of young children's perspectives on their human rights in early years settings located in Rwanda.

Webinars

Year of Childhood and Early Years: Where Are We Now?
30/11/2021
The focus of this discussion was to set the stage for further discussion of where the Early Years Sector currently is in relation to the implementation of the UNCRC.
We were delighted to be joined by Doreen Watson (The Care Inspectorate), Michele Doull (Early Years Scotland), Judith Walsh (Starcatchers) and Sophie Flemig (Cattanach).

The audience were asked to submit questions. See below for the speaker's responses to one that wasn't covered in the webinar time.

Question: How do we measure success, given what was said about smiles and the feel of a nursery?

Michelle Doull's Response:
Current practice within your provision supports observation, assessment, recording, and reflection of children's behaviour and relationships. Have confidence in the evidence you gather that captures the smiles, contentment, positive relationships, and upholding of rights, this is your measure of success. The principles of our Health and Social Care Standards underpin this and align with Realising the Ambition and Curriculum for Excellence. Staff and parent perspectives (where possible) will also support your evidence of success.

Doreen Watson's response:
How do we measure success? Success will look different depending upon where we are in our journey to recognising and promoting a rights-based approach. Small improvements will be important and there may be setbacks along the way. Ultimately, I think we measure success when we see children having fun, expressing themselves and benefitting from high quality care, play and learning experiences. Rights are not an add on, they are woven through every aspect of the ethos and provision of the service. Staff interactions with children are loving and caring and support children to understand their rights, not as an activity to be planned but as an everyday experience.
When we don't do, because we feel we must, because someone will evaluate our service poorly if we don't, but we do because we know it is the absolute responsibility of everyone working with and for children to approach their work with children's rights central to our approach. When we don't need to be reminded because it's a natural part of the language and actions in our society and rather it would seem strange not to work in this way.

Doreen's link to the Care Inspectorate's personal plans guidance:
https://hub.careinspectorate.com/media/4653/personal-plans-guide-elc-final-13102021.pdf

Michele kindly shared her slides with us, available here.

Starcatchers' links as mentioned by Rhona:
https://starcatchers.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/CS-Resource-FINAL.pdf
https://starcatchers.org.uk/work/making-my-mark-2019/

Year of Childhood and Early Years: Children's Rights in Practice | 14/12/2021
The focus of this discussion established what a children's rights-based approach looks like and feels like in practice.
We were delighted to be joined by Sarah Laing (Innerwick ELC), Lynn McNair (Cowgate Under 5s) and Jane Brumpton (Early Years Scotland).

Sarah has very kindly made her slides available for you to download here.

If you'd like to see Lynn's presentation in more detail, it can be found here. Lynn has also been kind enough to share the link to her latest publication with us - the first 50 downloads are free!

Year of Childhood and Early Years: A Parents' Discussion | 18/01/2022
This discussion focuses on the support parents need in order to engage with and have knowledge of the UNCRC.
We were delighted to be joined by a panel of parents, including Angela Phillips (Early Years Scotland), Liliane Unutesi (parent), and Jane Malcolm (National Day Nurseries Association).

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Rights-based practice in the Early Years - Children's Parliament

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With support from the Cattanach Trust, the Year of Childhood specifically focused on the Early Years Sector, namely identifying and amplifying good practice in early years settings. highlighting impact for children, families and communities. By engaging parents/carers in conversations/webinars around the importance of embedding children's rights in their earliest years and identifying good practice internationally via a webinar [...]

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Pre-Birth to  Three: Rights of the child

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UN Convention on the Rights of the Child - Guide for parents - Children's Commissioner for Wales

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We've made this guide to tell you more about children's rights. They outline what children need to have the best [...]

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UNCRC - Making the right to play real for parents and children

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DADx Talk - UNCRC Embedding Children's Human Rights

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Here you'll find useful links to organisations that can help with any questions you may have about parenting and your rights at work.

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Sway: Create and share interactive reports, presentations, personal stories, and more.

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Sway is an easy-to-use digital storytelling app for creating interactive reports, presentations, personal stories and more. Its built-in design engine helps you create professional designs in minutes. With Sway, your images, text, videos, and other multimedia all flow together in a way that enhances your story. Sway makes sure your creations look great on any screen.

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Include Me:  Gathering Views of children who may be non verbal 17 May 2021

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The Tapestry Education Conference: Reflecting on Anti-racism in the Early Years

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Unfearties, together we can make children's human rights real

Feart means scared in Scottish dialect. Unfeart means the opposite - it means being brave. We need people to be brave to support the realisation of children's human rights - to ensure children are healthy, happy and safe wherever they are and whoever they are with.

Please join our band of Unfearties. Wear the Unfeartie badge and make a commitment to learning more about how children's human rights improves children's lives. Join our brave band and become an Unfeartie to find out some of the actions you can take to make children's human rights real.

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Inspiring a world of love, happiness and understanding.

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Children's Parliament is dedicated to the realisation of children's human rights in Scotland. Learn more about what we do and how you can be involved.

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The Children and Young People's Commissioner Scotland

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All children have rights, and that includes babies and very young children.

All children have rights, and that includes babies and very young children.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) expresses these rights within the framework of children's lives and experiences. The rights in the UNCRC are linked together and support each other - so supporting one right, like the right to participate in play, promotes other rights including the right to be heard, to free expression, to development and to education.

Long before young children can understand the concept of children's rights, they can develop a sense of their own agency. Babies and very young children can develop this through relationships with parents and carers, and through their surroundings and environment. Their experience of these early relationships will influence their sense of self, how they view others and how they respond to their environment.

Babies and very young children need to be supported by the adults that care for them to make their own decisions and to be listened to. They need to feel that their ideas, thoughts and decisions are respected.

They are finding out about their rights through how others treat them. They are learning about expressing themselves, their interdependence with others, how valued they are. They are also learning about sharing, making choices and their place in the world.

Early childhood is a critical period for the realisation of rights and good early years experiences increase the chances of children being able to realise their rights through childhood.

Human rights for 0-2s

What's most important at this age?

The most important relationship in a baby's life is the one with their parents or carers. A child's survival and growth depends on the care and nurturing the child receives within the family. Love and responsive care, accepting relationships and being involved in everyday routines are important for babies. This is how they begin to make sense of the world.

Babies can express their interests through gaze, movement, facial expressions, noises and sounds. It is important that they are given the opportunities to make decisions and to express themselves as they begin to realise their rights. They can do this through exploration and play, by being offered and making choices and by being allowed to participate freely. They need to develop a sense of their own agency and show their individual personality.

Human rights for 3-5s

What's most important at this age?

This is the perfect starting point to engage young children in discussion and to increase awareness of their own rights. They can learn how to build relationships, become responsible, manage their moods, develop a feelings vocabulary, make good choices, solve problems and feel that they and others belong.

Play is an important part of any very young child's life. It can help them learn to move, share, negotiate and to take on board others' points of view. It can give them a chance to make decisions, express themselves, develop a sense of agency and show their individual personality. Article 31 of the UNCRC says that children have the right to relax, play and take part in artistic and cultural activities. Play is essential to the health and wellbeing of children and is the main way that very young children can engage with their rights.

Article 12 of the UNCRC says that children have the right to have opinions and for these opinions to matter. It says that the opinions of children should be considered when adults make decisions about them. As holders of rights even the youngest children have a right to express their view. By the age of 3 most children can communicate ideas and thoughts in words. They also communicate through play, body language, facial expression, drawing and painting. They are able to make choices, express preferences and demonstrate an understanding of their environment.

It is the responsibility of adults to provide opportunities for children to express their views. Adapting the child's interests, levels of understanding and preferred ways of communicating.

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How a parent or carer can respect a very young child's human rights and engage with these from an early age.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
The Children and Young People's Commissioner Scotland

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
All children have rights, and that includes babies and very young children.

All children have rights, and that includes babies and very young children.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) expresses these rights within the framework of children's lives and experiences. The rights in the UNCRC are linked together and support each other - so supporting one right, like the right to participate in play, promotes other rights including the right to be heard, to free expression, to development and to education.

Long before young children can understand the concept of children's rights, they can develop a sense of their own agency. Babies and very young children can develop this through relationships with parents and carers, and through their surroundings and environment. Their experience of these early relationships will influence their sense of self, how they view others and how they respond to their environment.

Babies and very young children need to be supported by the adults that care for them to make their own decisions and to be listened to. They need to feel that their ideas, thoughts and decisions are respected.

They are finding out about their rights through how others treat them. They are learning about expressing themselves, their interdependence with others, how valued they are. They are also learning about sharing, making choices and their place in the world.

Early childhood is a critical period for the realisation of rights and good early years experiences increase the chances of children being able to realise their rights through childhood.

Human rights for 0-2s

What's most important at this age?

The most important relationship in a baby's life is the one with their parents or carers. A child's survival and growth depends on the care and nurturing the child receives within the family. Love and responsive care, accepting relationships and being involved in everyday routines are important for babies. This is how they begin to make sense of the world.

Babies can express their interests through gaze, movement, facial expressions, noises and sounds. It is important that they are given the opportunities to make decisions and to express themselves as they begin to realise their rights. They can do this through exploration and play, by being offered and making choices and by being allowed to participate freely. They need to develop a sense of their own agency and show their individual personality.

Human rights for 3-5s

What's most important at this age?

This is the perfect starting point to engage young children in discussion and to increase awareness of their own rights. They can learn how to build relationships, become responsible, manage their moods, develop a feelings vocabulary, make good choices, solve problems and feel that they and others belong.

Play is an important part of any very young child's life. It can help them learn to move, share, negotiate and to take on board others' points of view. It can give them a chance to make decisions, express themselves, develop a sense of agency and show their individual personality. Article 31 of the UNCRC says that children have the right to relax, play and take part in artistic and cultural activities. Play is essential to the health and wellbeing of children and is the main way that very young children can engage with their rights.

Article 12 of the UNCRC says that children have the right to have opinions and for these opinions to matter. It says that the opinions of children should be considered when adults make decisions about them. As holders of rights even the youngest children have a right to express their view. By the age of 3 most children can communicate ideas and thoughts in words. They also communicate through play, body language, facial expression, drawing and painting. They are able to make choices, express preferences and demonstrate an understanding of their environment.

It is the responsibility of adults to provide opportunities for children to express their views. Adapting the child's interests, levels of understanding and preferred ways of communicating.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
How a parent or carer can respect a very young child's human rights and engage with these from an early age.

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Looking for all Articles by Marie Gallagher?

How picture books can help children understand their rights

Celebrated each year on 20 November, World Children's Day marks the date in 1959 when the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Rights of the Child. Exactly 30 years later, the same coalition adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which we have come to know more commonly as the UNCRC. Countries across the world, including Scotland and the UK, have signed up to this, committing to make children's rights a priority in law, policy and service provision. There is even a possibility that the UNCRC will become enshrined in Scots law in the near future.

The first Article of the UNCRC states that children should know about the convention and the rights within it and that grown-ups have a responsibility to help children understand their rights. However, this can feel like a big and abstract concept for practitioners, parents and carers to explain to children, particularly in the early years. How do we begin to open up these conversations about rights in a way that is fun, engaging and age appropriate? At Bookbug, we believe that picture books are the best place to start, so we've created some top tips for using them to explore the UNCRC.

Don't worry about 'correct' terminology

When helping younger children understand their rights, it is okay if we don't directly mention the word 'rights' or use picture books specifically relating to the UNCRC (although many lovely ones do exist - take a look at our book list for inspiration). We can take a holistic and informal approach, whether as part of the early years curriculum or choosing books and activities for the home. The Children's Parliament explains children's rights as things that all children need to feel healthy, happy and safe. That gives us lots of scope for fun and creativity when exploring children's rights with our little ones!

Bring rights to life through character-driven stories

When choosing narrative books, think about stories that need something to change in order for the main character to be healthy, happy and safe. Often this will relate to a fundamental human need, whether emotional or physical. Also, consider the role of the adults within the story - what do they do (or not do) to help? Are they present or absent? Children need to know that the role of grown-ups is to make sure their rights are met.

Have fun with concept books

There are lots of picture books designed to explain ideas or activities through illustrations, engaging rhymes or interactive elements. Many relate to core learning areas such as numbers, shapes, the alphabet or daily routines. In addition to these, lots of children's authors and illustrators provide opportunities to learn about feelings and the diversity of people and the world around them. For example, in Happy To Be Me by Emma Dodd, bold, expressive illustrations and diverse characters highlight all of the things our bodies and minds do for us every day and celebrates the importance of love and friendship. You Choose by Nick Sharratt inspires children to imagine the reality of different types of people, activities and environments and what topics they would like to explore. These concept books are fantastic in supporting the development of emotional literacy and empathy.

Opportunities for choice and participation

As well as books themselves, think about the child's role in book sharing and the environment in which books are shared. Article 12 of the UNCRC states that children have the right to express their views and be listened to. Picture books are an excellent vehicle for helping children feel confident about sharing their opinions and influencing activities. Think about the following key questions when creating participative and inclusive book sharing opportunities:

Do children have the chance to choose books and express their preferences?

Are picture books visible and physically accessible to the children in your setting?

Is there diversity in terms of characters, subject matter and authors/illustrators from a variety of backgrounds?

How can we enrich children's experience of interacting with books through play and creative opportunities?

Celebrate - you are supporting children's rights through the joy of book sharing!

Simply by sharing books with children and building them into our daily routines, we are doing a great deal to promote children's rights, including the right to learn and play, social and emotional development, cultural activities and much more. Book sharing promotes positive relationships between children and their families, which is a perfect basis for children to begin confidently understanding and articulating their rights in a safe and supportive space as they grow.

Take a look at our book list for inspiration on getting started with children's rights and, of course, get in touch to share your suggestions!

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Exploring children's rights through picture books

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Looking for all Articles by Marie Gallagher? How picture books can help children understand their rights Celebrated each year on 20 November, World Children's Day marks the date in 1959 when the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Rights of the Child.

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Rights Based Practice in Early Years  - FossoPLAY Nursery

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Rights-Based Practice in Early Years -- Cowgate Under 5's

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Rights-Based Practice in Early Years -- Banchory Primary School's Nursery

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UNCRC self-eval toolkit

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Ed Scot Improving Gender Balance and Equalities Team

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View the interactive image by EdScot Curriculum Innovation Team