Resources for Families

The Better Start Literacy Approach and Words Can POP has been developed by a team of researchers at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. It is based on research evidence from several years of research trials investigating effective and efficient ways to ensure early language and literacy success for all children.

This website provides you access to children’s early readers that are aligned to a series of classroom activities designed to support children’s early literacy and language success.

For school-aged children, we invite you to enjoy reading these stories with your child and helping your 5 and 6 year old children begin to learn to read, write and to talk about the stories. There are teaching notes at the end of each of the School Readers to guide your support.

For preschool-aged children these readers are great short stories for children to listen to and enjoy. The Early Childhood Books also have reading notes at the back, with suggestions for other ways to help support your child’s early reading and language development.

Hardcopy sets of these readers can be purchased from our shop.

Remember to give your children plenty of praise and encouragement in listening with you to the stories or in reading the stories themselves (as appropriate to their level of development). It is important children experience success and enjoyment when engaged in language activities. Your positive encouragement will motivate your children to keep listening and reading stories, which in turn, will help build important foundational learning skills for educational success.

Professor Gail Gillon
Director Child Well-being Research Institute
University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
gail.gillon@canterbury.ac.nz