Christmas gift for a 6-year-old: a personalised children's book

Your six-year-old may be sounding out words, one letter at a time. This book gives them a reason to keep going, because they're the hero. It has four to seven sentences per page, dialogue that breaks up the text and a challenge to overcome. Read it aloud together and let your child take a word here and there.

Create a book for a 6-year-old

Hardcover in time for Christmas: order by 29 November

Six-year-olds at play and at school

At six, children are still busy playing, while learning more about the world around them. They might spend ages building something, but also want to learn what older children can do: tell the time, use money or write their name without back-to-front letters. Many lose their first tooth and are very proud of the gap. Reading often starts with signs and packets: ‘That says MILK!’ Six-year-olds enjoy jokes and wordplay, and laugh when something goes wrong in a funny way. A book for this age can have more action and dialogue, while familiar words make it easier for your child to join in.

Would you like to see a finished book before you decide? Browse our example books.

A school day or a space adventure

The starting school theme can tell a story about new shoes, a place to hang a coat and a classmate who's a little nervous too. Your child gets through the day and goes home proud. If they're more interested in planets, choose space instead. They can steer a rocket, count down from ten and land on a moon nobody has visited before.

Choose a theme

Ideas for a six-year-old's book

Six-year-olds often know something nobody else in the family does: the names of every dinosaur, a whole soccer team or how to fold a paper aeroplane that flies a long way. Tell us about it, so the hero can use what your child really knows. A teacher, a classmate or an older cousin can become a character, with a photo if they wish. The message could be about respect, or friendship when someone is new to the class. If your child has lost a tooth or learned to swim, you can include that too. In the foreword, you might write about how you felt when they set off for school with a backpack that seemed much too big.

Reading together and independently

At first, you might read most of the book aloud while your child takes over a word or a line at a time. It doesn't matter if it's slow going: it's their own story, after all. The book makes a lovely sixth birthday present or a way to celebrate a school milestone. You can change the font, and a clear, simple one may help a child who's sounding out words. The audiobook opens with the QR code in the book, so your child can follow the text as it's read aloud. It's a way to practise without needing a grown-up beside them every time.

Remind me before the birthday

Not quite yet? We e-mail you two to three weeks before the child's birthday, in time for a printed book. Once a year, nothing else.

You turn the reminder on in the e-mail we send. We keep only the address and the date, see the privacy policy.

Questions about books for 6 years

Ages 6–9 gives you four to seven sentences per page, with dialogue, and works well for reading aloud. If you'd prefer less text, ages 3–5 may be a better fit.

Yes. You can change all the text afterwards, so you can shorten any sentences that feel too long.

Yes. Choose the starting school theme and tell us about the school, class or teacher.

Yes, with the audiobook. Open it using the QR code in the book and play it on a phone or tablet.