Does child-led or planned interactive storybook reading lead to greater improvements in children’s vocabulary and oral language skills?

University of Birmingham
Implementation costThe cost estimates are based on the average cost of delivering the intervention.
Evidence strengthThis rating provides an overall estimate of the robustness of the evidence, to help support professional decision-making in schools.
Impact (months)The impact measure shows the number of additional months of progress made, on average, by children and young people who received the intervention, compared to similar children and young people who did not.
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Project info

Independent Evaluator

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University of Birmingham

Exploring the impact of two different approaches to interactive storybook reading in early years settings.

Pupils: 978 Schools: 100
Key Stage: EY Type of Trial: Teacher Choices
Completed October 2026

Dedicated storybook reading time is a common practice in early years settings. However, there are different ways to plan and deliver storybook sessions.

This study compared two approaches. In child-led storybook reading, practitioners let children choose the book and responded to their interests with prompts during the session. In planned storybook reading, practitioners chose the book and prepared prompts in advance.

The evaluation was a randomised controlled trialAn RCT is used evaluate an educational programme by assigning settings to one of two groups: the intervention group, who receive the programme or the control group, who continue with business as usual. This ensures that any differences in outcomes can be confidently attributed to the programme, providing a robust estimate of the impact and contributing to the evidence for what works in improving educational outcomes.. It compared the two approaches to see whether either led to greater improvements in children’s vocabulary and oral language skills.

Why did the EEF fund this project?

Oral language skills are fundamental for children’s learning. Research consistently shows that there is a higher prevalence of oral language needs in socio-economically disadvantaged children.

Previous research has shown that interactive storybook reading can help improve young children’s language skills.

This project aimed to provide evidence on which approach could lead to better outcomes for children.

What did the evaluation find?

  • Children in both the child-led approach and planned approach settings made progress over time in storybook expressive vocabulary, supporting previous research on the value of interactive storybook reading.
  • Children in the child-led group achieved a higher score in storybook expressive vocabulary, on average, compared to children in planned group.
  • Children in the child-led group also achieved a higher score in wider oral language, on average, compared to children in the planned group.
  • Practitioners using the child-led approach perceived that:
    • children were more engaged and felt more empowered by the opportunity to choose the reading book
    • there were more opportunities for children to practice their expressive language when they talked about their choices of books
    • a greater range of different books were read, giving potential for exposure to a wider range of language

How should I interpret these findings?

Early years settings should continue to feel confident that interactive storybook reading supports children’s language skills.

Empowering children to choose the books for the storybook reading sessions could lead to them being more engaged, having greater opportunities to practise their expressive language, and being exposed to a wider range of books.

Were the settings in the trial similar to mine?

Project type: Teacher ChoicesKey Stage: Early YearsSubject: Communication and language
  • The evaluation included data from 82 early years settings
  • There were 58 maintained settings and 23 private, voluntary and independent (PVI) settings
  • The percentage of children eligible for early years pupil premium in the settings that took part was the same as the national average (13%)

Could I implement this in my setting?

Delivered by: Early YearsParticipant group: Whole SettingIntervention length: 12 week(s)

If you’re thinking about your approach to interactive storybook reading, the EEF’s Early Years Evidence Store explains what this looks like in practice and how it can support children’s early literacy. You can also watch an Eyes on the Early Years video showing how professional development can help embed interactive storybook reading into everyday early years practice.

A description of the child-led approach, that was used in this trial, is as follows:

Child-led approach used in trial 

In this approach, educators allow children to select the storybooks or actively involve them in the book selection process. The primary focus is on giving children autonomy in choosing the books they are interested in reading that day, fostering their engagement and enjoyment of the reading experience.

Do:

  • Provide a selection of at least 5 different books that you think are appropriate for the children to choose from for the reading session.
  • Familiarise yourself with the different types of prompts that can be useful in interactive reading. This will help you form useful prompts as you are reading.
  • Respond to the children’s interest and engagement in the prompts you use.
  • Respect children’s choices and encourage them to share why they picked a particular book.
  • As you read try to identify aspects of the story they may not have accessed or understood and discuss these
  • Record the book reading session in the recording sheet afterwards.

Don’t:

  • Steer children towards specific books; let their interests guide the selection process.
  • Rush the children through the story or limit their time for book exploration.
  • Plan prompts or discussion points before reading.
  • Let a few children dominate the book choice: make sure you provide opportunities for children to take turns in selecting books for the group.

How much will it cost?

Cost per pupil: n/aNo. of teachers/TAs: n/aStaff training duration: 0 days

There were no additional costs to using either approach. Some practitioners reported that the planned approach added to their workload.

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