Reading bedtime stories together is a cherished part of the nighttime routine for parents and children. These moments are precious, and not just because of the quality time involved.
At our independent school in Devon, we always try to encourage children to find joy in reading, both in class and at home. Bedtime stories can be hugely important for ensuring those good habits are developed and maintained over a lifetime. Here are just some reasons why we love bedtime stories.
Better Sleep
We all know that routines are crucial for having a good night’s rest. However, with so many screens in our lives, taking that time to wind down before sleep can be harder than it sounds.
By having bedtime stories as part of your nightly routine, you’re encouraging better sleeping habits. Find a story your child loves and they will be more receptive to beginning the bedtime routine and going to bed. More time reading also means less time in front of a screen, which has been proven to make sleep more difficult.
Improved Literacy and Vocabulary Skills
Even though your child may not be reading for themselves, bedtime stories still encourage the development of literacy skills in the same way independent reading does.
Reading to your child is a great way to develop their word and letter-recognition abilities at a young age. Of course, you could also alternate reading paragraphs of sentences to help their skills flourish.
Beyond literacy, reading also helps children to hear and learn words that they can add to their vocabulary. Children’s books come packed with exciting new ways for little ones to describe the world around them, which can help them improve their communication skills at school.
Support Emotional Growth
As mentioned above, reading can be a wonderful way for young minds to explore and understand the world around them. Stories naturally encourage us to analyse and understand different perspectives in a fun way, and these are skills that can be picked up by children through bedtime stories.
Children’s stories can provide a safe route into more challenging topics, perspectives and emotions that kids experience in the real world. These bedtime stories can encourage emotionally thoughtful discussions between parent and child, helping to improve your little one’s emotional development.
Bonding Time
We all know how important bonding with your child can be, but when life gets hectic, there can be too many excuses for missing that quality time. Bedtime stories are a great way to have that meaningful emotional and physical connection with your child every day.
As discussed, bedtime stories can be a great way to explore and understand how your child feels about themselves and the world around them in a safe, loving space. By finding time around the reading routine to talk and open up with each other, you can foster a deep and caring bond.
Encourage Independent Reading
Last but not least, bedtime stories offer a fantastic way to encourage positive reading habits and strengthen reading comprehension skills.
We all know how brilliant reading can be for young minds, and how it can sometimes be a challenge to encourage reading in this digital world. By making reading a fun part of everyday life through bedtime stories your child will feel more excited about reading opportunities elsewhere in their life, whether at home or at school.
Hopefully, you can see how bedtime stories aren’t just good for developing literacy skills but provide a whole host of benefits to support a child’s holistic development. If you’re looking for stories to read, discover some of our favourite children’s books for all ages.
