Bedtime Stories Build Brains
Bedtimes stories bring visions of soft lighting, cozy pillows and blankets, books and a family enjoying time together. Maybe you have memories of bedtime story time and you’d like to recreate that for your children, or as an adult you love to read before you go to sleep and want to instill that love of reading in your family. Either way, setting up a bedtime story routine is a great thing to do
Routines
A bedtime routine is beneficial to both you and your child and it’s even better if it includes bedtime stories. Routines help children know what to expect, making them feel safe and secure. They build healthy habits, help with self regulation. Routines support your child’s mental health.
Bedtime stories incorporated into your routine provides a positive perk to getting ready for bed with less struggles. The benefits for both the adult and the children are immeasurable! It’s a time to relax and unwind reducing stress levels. Reading together promotes bonding creating a closeness for you and your child as you snuggle in to see the pages. This helps with building a great relationship and improving everyone’s wellbeing.
Lifelong Love of Reading
Making time for daily reading sets the stage for a lifelong love of reading so even if it’s only one short story, try to build a bedtime story routine into your evening. Reading builds new vocabulary, sets a foundation for phones and increased reading comprehension. Bedtime stories will open your child’s imagination and may lead to many conversations about life, and about the world, both real and fantasy. Reading increases communication skills which are important for social interactions in the future, at school and beyond. Reading together may help motivate your child to read on their own but that doesn’t mean that you should stop reading to your child once they can read independently. Then they can read to you! You could also try oral storytelling, a fantastic traditional way of passing down memories and stories from your youth.
Reading the same book repeatedly might seem boring to you but it’s often exactly what your child asks for, and that’s okay! Repetition is familiar and comforting and it’s improving your child’s logic skills. They will notice patterns, rhyming words, leading to increased observation skills. It will help them predict what’s next and build their reasoning and critical thinking abilities. Soon, they’ll be “reading” the story to you!
Bedtime Stories
From classics like Dr. Seuss, favourites like Goodnight Moon, to tradi tional nursery rhymes, and more, you’ll soon be on your way to building your own collection of bedtime stories. Don’t forget to check out your local libraries to borrow books from. Check out St. Thomas Public Library | St. Thomas Public Library Website (stthomaspubliclibrary.ca) if you live in the city and Library – Elgin County if you live outside the city. Blue Boxes for Books is a local program promoting literacy with bins of gently used books, placed around the community, that are free to take home Blue Boxes for Books — Investing in Children. Scholastic Books is a great economical program offered through schools and childcares Book Clubs | Scholastic Canada.
Books make great gifts anytime. From baby shower gifts, to birthdays, holidays and more, for all ages from birth to adult. Give the gift of reading to your child today!
