Whatever your kid’s age, reading together at bedtime is the best way to bring the day to a close. The bedtime story is one parenting tradition that has endured through the years. Many of you have memories of sharing a bedtime book with your parents and now do the same with your children. Yet, in today’s increasingly time-pressed world, bedtime stories often fall prey to your busy schedules and long working hours. Here are some reasons to make it a priority every night:
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It’s Good Bonding Time
Sharing bedtime stories provides them a time when children have you all to themselves, which may not be possible at any other point of the day. A night-time book shared with your kid when they’re ready for bed is the best time for cuddles, bonding, and making cozy memories that will last a lifetime.
It Sparks Imagination
Unicorns, wizards, fairies, monsters, etc. Books open up new worlds to children, both imagined and real, and conveying a bedtime story will take them to other places they’d never have dreamed of. Books can teach your kid about the world and open their imagination. ‘Reading fiction provides specific information gaps your child can fill with their imagination, and this guesswork and decision-making stimulate the mental patterns fundamental to creativity.’
It Creates Conversation
Reading together can trigger wonderful questions and stimulate conversation, which can assist children in understanding their place in the world. So while you might rush to complete the book and get on with your evening, let time in your bedtime routine talk about what you’re reading: you’ll be helping in your child’s development and achieving a fascinating insight into how their mind works.
It Expands Your Child’s Vocabulary
Did you know that kids need to listen to a word up to 12 times before they can begin to use it themselves? Reading short stories can give your kid this exposure to new words (particularly if you read the same book each night) and so build your child’s vocabulary. Reading aloud introduces kids to new words and ways of describing the world around them.
It Helps You (Both) Relax And Unwind
Many of you introduce a bedtime story in the baby days as part of your child’s everyday evening routine, and it can still help promote relaxation, even for older kids. A bedtime story can be the best way of leaving the day behind, helping the entire family switch off so that whatever noise and stress have happened throughout the day can be forgotten.
