• Quick Order
  • Wishlists
  • 0
    £0.00 ex VAT
Back
Menu
Close
Shop early years essentials
Shop everything you need for your early years setting with our handpicked collection of essentials.
Shop now
100s of new and exciting early years products
Refresh your early years settings with 100s of new and exciting early years products to choose from.
Shop now
Sign up to little learners for free
Subscribe to Little Learners, our free early years magazine packed full of ideas and inspiration to help your setting flourish.
Subscribe now
SEN range
Create nurturing and inspiring spaces with our SEN range of products, handpicked to support key development.
Shop now
Shop the YPO range and find what you need for less
Switch and save with our YPO range, with hundreds of products to choose from.
Shop now
Community Playthings collection at YPO
Our Community Playthings range is 100% designed and manufactured in the UK. Each purchase includes tool-free assembly, a 15-year warranty, and a two-week delivery lead time.
Shop now
Shop the cosy collection at YPO
We're excited to be working in partnership with Cosy, a renowned supplier of high quality and imaginative products. Shop the full collection!
Shop now
  • Cart with cleaning supplies Facilities Management

    Essential services to help keep your school running smoothly.

  • Students receiving food Food and Catering

    Everything you need for your school meals and catering requirements.

  • Students in class Furniture

    Helping you create inspiring spaces.

  • Students using a computer ICT

    Technology and communications to help you stay connected and current.

  • Person using a laptop Professional Services

    Supporting your people and professional services.

  • Bus Driver Transport

    Help get your students from A to B.

  • Technician fixing light fixture Utilities

    Review your energy contracts to help save money.

It's now even easier to choose your exercise books
Find your exercise books in no time with our new exercise book selector. Pick your size, ruling, colour, and number of pages, then simply add to basket!
Shop now
Always in stock essentials
Explore our large range of always available products and get what you need, when you need it.
Shop now
SEN range
Create nurturing and inspiring spaces with our SEN range of products, handpicked to support key development.
Shop now
Making life easier for MATs across the country
Explore the benefits YPO can provide to Academies and Multi Academy Trusts across the country.
Find out more
Shop the YPO range and find what you need for less
Switch and save with our YPO range, with hundreds of products to choose from.
Shop now
Shop the cosy collection at YPO
We're excited to be working in partnership with Cosy, a renowned supplier of high quality and imaginative products. Shop the full collection!
Shop now
  • Cart with cleaning supplies Facilities Management

    Essential services to help keep your school running smoothly.

  • Students receiving food Food and Catering

    Everything you need for your school meals and catering requirements.

  • Students in class Furniture

    Helping you create inspiring spaces.

  • Students using a computer ICT

    Technology and communications to help you stay connected and current.

  • Person using a laptop Professional Services

    Supporting your people and professional services.

  • Bus Driver Transport

    Help get your students from A to B.

  • Technician fixing light fixture Utilities

    Review your energy contracts to help save money.

It's now even easier to choose your exercise books
Find your exercise books in no time with our new exercise book selector. Pick your size, ruling, colour, and number of pages, then simply add to basket!
Shop now
Always in stock essentials
Explore our large range of always available products and get what you need, when you need it.
Shop now
Making life easier for MATs across the country
Explore the benefits YPO can provide to Academies and Multi Academy Trusts across the country.
Find out more
Shop the YPO range and find what you need for less
Switch and save with our YPO range, with hundreds of products to choose from.
Shop now
  • Construction worker Buildings and Construction

    Our expert team can help with building, construction, repairs and alterations. Browse our frameworks.

  • Meeting Corporate and Financial Services

    Help to increase efficiencies and provide better support to your people.

  • Energy frameworks YPO Energy

    Find ways to reduce your energy consumption with our energy team.

  • Cleaning equipment Facilities and Waste Management

    Providing safe and cost effective working environments.

  • Fleet of white vans Fleet

    Whether you're looking for fleet hire or purchase, speak to our specialist team.

  • food and catering worker cooking Food and Catering

    Ordering food and catering couldn't be simpler with our UK Food Deal.

  • food and catering worker cooking Furniture

    Create environments that are tailored to your unique needs.

  • fleet and highways worker Highways

    Providing specialist industry knowledge to help meet your needs.

  • Corporate meeting HR and People

    Our team are here to help with all of your recruitment and training.

  • Woman using technology Technology and Communication

    We can help you source cost-effective solutions with a range of frameworks.

Simplify your food waste management
YPO's food waste management frameworks have been created to support local authorities on their journey of food waste separation to reduce landfill emissions. Find out more here.
Find out more
Explore our energy updates
We know that securing energy contracts can be a complex and difficult process, but we are here to help you. Explore our Energy Hub to find help and guidance, latest updates and more.
Explore now
Winter essentials products
Explore winter maintenance essentials and discover a range of products to combat the winter weather, from salt and grit to thermal workwear.
Shop now
Prize Freeze Extended
Discover prices frozen on 50 school essentials, with prices guaranteed until Spring 2025. Get stocked up on your classroom essentials for less, and help support the NSPCC with every purchase!
Shop now
Price drops at YPO
Discover 1000s of products dropped and locked until 2025! Shop now!
Shop now
Bulk discounts, stock up and save
Stock up and save with our selection of bulk discount options on a range of popular products, from furniture to paper and more.
Shop now
New in products
Kit out your classroom and shop 100s of new products at great value prices.
Shop now
Clearance range
Once they're gone... they're gone! Shop clearance here and save on a range of essentials.
Shop now
YPO classpacks, buy more for less
Make your budget go further with our collection of classpacks, and save on a range of classroom essentials.
Shop now
Shop the YPO range and find what you need for less
Switch and save with our YPO range, with hundreds of products to choose from.
Shop now
Products
Close
Frameworks
Close
  • Construction worker Buildings and Construction

    Our expert team can help with building, construction, repairs and alterations. Browse our frameworks.

  • Meeting Corporate and Financial Services

    Help to increase efficiencies and provide better support to your people.

  • Energy frameworks YPO Energy

    Find ways to reduce your energy consumption with our energy team.

  • Cleaning equipment Facilities and Waste Management

    Providing safe and cost effective working environments.

  • Fleet of white vans Fleet

    Whether you're looking for fleet hire or purchase, speak to our specialist team.

  • food and catering worker cooking Food and Catering

    Ordering food and catering couldn't be simpler with our UK Food Deal.

  • food and catering worker cooking Furniture

    Create environments that are tailored to your unique needs.

  • fleet and highways worker Highways

    Providing specialist industry knowledge to help meet your needs.

  • Corporate meeting HR and People

    Our team are here to help with all of your recruitment and training.

  • Woman using technology Technology and Communication

    We can help you source cost-effective solutions with a range of frameworks.

According to recent statistics from the mental health charity Mind, 1 in 4 people in the UK will experience a mental health problem each year. Many people have encountered feelings of stress or anxiety in some stage of our lives, and a go-to activity to help alleviate these feelings for many is reading. Many of us love to read during the evenings and follow book groups on social media, where people review books they’ve read and give others advice on what to read next. Through different social platforms such as this, not only can reading be a hobby for some people; it can also feel like being part of a wider community, which is important in maintaining good mental wellbeing.

Did you know that the NHS now recommends using services such as the Reading Well book prescription service when going through times of stress, depression and anxiety? The books are chosen and prescribed by health experts, meaning you are highly likely to benefit from reading the books prescribed.

Here are five ways in which reading can boost your mental health.

Reducing stress

According to research carried out by The University of Sussex, reading for as little as 6 minutes per day can reduce stress levels by 68%. The study stated that the distraction and escapism that reading brings helps to ease the tensions in the muscles and heart.

Helps stimulate the brain

Studies show that reading leads to good brain health in old age. Just like the heart, the brain as a muscle is stimulated through reading which helps it function to its fullest capacity. Reading has also been linked to reducing the risk of developing dementia. My grandad admits that he likes to read every day and keep his mind healthy by taking part in activities put on by his care home. At 97 years old, his short-term and long-term memory is fantastic; what an achievement and what a role model!

Helps with relaxation

The subject you are reading about can bring inner peace and tranquility as well as lowering blood pressure over time by reducing overall stress. This sense of calm can also help bring on a more natural, deeper sleep. Reading before bed helps your body to wind down and keeps your eyes away from phone screens which can disrupt your natural sleeping patterns.

Constantly educating yourself

Reading helps us to understand different ways of life. This understanding enables us to be more understanding and emphatic of others. Whatever subject you can think of, there is a book out there available. Whether it’s fiction or non-fiction, reading can help expand your knowledge base and learn more about the world we live in.

Can help you cope with depressive feelings

Research has shown that reading can reduce depressive feelings. When we read stories of heartbreak, grief and loss, we are usually lying safely in our beds or maybe travelling. This reinforces our feelings of security and reminds us that we are often in a much better place than we may have initially thought. Reading can help provide some much-needed escapism from the real world, by losing yourself in a great story. When you get home from work tonight, lay back, turn off your phone (and the TV), try reading a book and take note of how this makes you feel. 

Explore our collection of children’s books suitable for a range of ages here.

 

Useful blogs:

Top tips for looking after your mental health

Top tips to encourage children to read by choice

The benefits of reading in early years

 
YPO 50
Author

The YPO Team

YPO supplies products and services to a wide range of customers including schools, local authorities, charities, emergency services, public sector and other businesses such as nurseries and care homes. YPO are 100% publicly owned, by 13 local authorities, which means the profits made are returned to public sector customers, delivering even better value for money.