1decision, a leading provider of innovative educational resources designed to support personal, social and emotional development, has authored a new series of 40 stories for early years’ children.
The RainbowSmart ‘read-to-me’ storybooks, which can also be viewed as app-based educational cartoons at home as part of a wider schools programme to support children’s personal development, have been created by CEO Hayley Sherwood and colleagues for three to seven-year-olds.
They are centred on the ‘Rainbowdrops’ animated characters – Blue, Green, Orange, Pink, Purple, Red, Yellow and Rainbow – who serve as friendly guides, helping children navigate the complexities of the world around them whilst celebrating differences, embracing diversity and fostering understanding of the uniqueness of communities.
The series focuses on real-life scenarios, covering a wide range of topics including learning to share, embracing kindness, appreciating different types of families and cultures, understanding grief, and health and safety. They have been crafted to help young children to manage feelings and emotions, develop empathy, create healthy relationships, behave appropriately, manage stress and solve problems.
“Our new series of 40 early years’ books featuring the Rainbowdrops characters represents a significant milestone in our commitment to holistic child development,” Hayley explained. “With each book, we aim to empower children to embrace their uniqueness and foster empathy and understanding towards others, laying the foundation for a more inclusive and compassionate society. These are designed to build children’s confidence, self-esteem and coping skills, support a gentle approach to difficult subjects, and importantly provide safe content which helps to educate them about the world around them.”
Before the official book launch, the animated cartoon series starring the Rainbowdrops characters received the prestigious ‘Teach Early Years’ award in the Happy and Healthy category. This recognition underscores the positive impact of the Rainbowdrops in promoting social-emotional wellbeing and personal development in young children. The voiceovers, highlighted texts and flash cards also increase vocabulary, and support parents’ confidence that their child is engaging in positive screen time.
“Looking ahead, we remain dedicated to expanding the series and adding even more content to meet the ever-changing needs of young learners,” Hayley said. “With a commitment to excellence and innovation, 1decision continues to empower educators and parents with dynamic resources to support children’s development in diverse and inclusive learning environments, nurturing essential life skills in young learners. Our mission is to inspire and empower individuals to reach their full potential by providing them with the tools and resources they need to thrive in a rapidly changing world.”
More widely, Stevenage-based 1decision, which was established in 2011, now supports over 2,000 schools in 47 counties across the UK and a growing number of international schools in 19 countries. It provides early years’ settings and primary schools with inspiring and engaging resources to enhance and evidence personal development for pupils, helping to prepare them for secondary education and life beyond.
“We are really proud of our achievements over the past 12 years and believe the longevity of our presence in primary schools is a testament to the positive impact our resources continue to have on pupils’ learning experiences,” Hayley commented. “We have a long history of supporting primary schools to reach ‘Good’ and ‘Outstanding’ for personal development, having successfully produced an award-winning series of books and resources for early years and a whole-school primary Personal, Social, Health, and Economic (PSHE) programme. We have grown our team significantly over the past year as a result, and we now look forward to the next phase of our exciting journey.”
