Importance of bedtime stories
30th August 2017
It’s believed that your unborn child can hear and recognise your voice from inside the womb and sometimes they respond by kicking. This positive encounter is also reflected once they are born, either by singing or reading to them, to help them fall asleep. It’s important that your child feels comforted before going to bed, not only will it help them fall to sleep but it’ll also encourage them to read. Children like to mirror what they see their parents do, so use this opportunity to positively enforce books.
Help your children develop their cognitive functions gradually by reading them bedtime stories. Stories help children to encompass reasoning, understand characters and associate good memories with you and their favourite tales. By incorporating something fun into bedtime, children are less likely to play up or refuse to sleep. If you give them something to look forward to, they will be excited and relish their night time routine.
Bedtime stories allow time for:
More hugs
When you read together, cuddle too! Reading with your arm around your child can help you both relax after a long day – your child may be feeling stressed from a first day at nursery/school or perhaps they’ve had a fall out with another child. This close bond you will both create during ‘story time’ will reduce any high cortisol levels they might have, this will help them to forget the day and concentrate on the story and you. By keeping them close, they will also be able to see the words you are reading, encouraging them to take part.
Quality time
If your child has been at nursery or school all day and you’ve been at work, a bedtime story gives you time to bond with them. When reading the story, it’s natural for a discussion to open up between you and your child about the characters, who their favourite is, why and what they think the character should do to resolve the issue in the story. This process enables your child to understand different perspectives, allowing them to develop a deeper understanding of life lessons and values. Naturally this process will provide them with skills that they will use everyday as they grow.
Settling down
After teeth are brushed it’s time to tuck your child in and read them a bedtime story. Children enjoy your silly voices and enjoy a good story, but as the story draws to a close so do your child’s eyes. This is why it’s suggested to read a bedtime story to help them settle down after a long day.
Learning
If you expose books to your children from an early age, they will be more inclined to delve into them even when you’re not there. By watching you read, your child will be able to recognise words with ease and have an understanding on how they’re pronounced.
Looking at words/sounding them out
Now and then you might want to ask your child to read the words said by their favourite characters. Not only will they find comfort in being their favourite character but they will have you there to help them sound out the words, so they will understand that it’s a place where they will not be judged, simply supported.
Pictures
Whilst reading the story, share the pictures with your child so they can get creative and visualise what you’re reading. Putting a picture to the description will help them to understand the words you are reading. Pictures might also inspire them to draw too, this helps them to naturally find their own interests and develop their natural skills.
Here at Tiny World we understand how important it is for parents and children to bond, share experiences and work together to help develop trust and skills along the way. If you’re looking for advice or wish to take a tour of our Nurseries, please contact us today – we’d love to hear from you!