This is a partnered post.
If there is one thing that children look forward to at bedtime, it’s their bedtime story. There’s something about laying in bed and listening to their mom or dad read them a book (or a chapter of a book) that kids love. Maybe it’s excitement to find out what happens in the story or perhaps it’s about spending time with their mom or dad, but either way, most kids are crazy about bedtime stories.
Studies have shown that reading to children (particularly at bedtime) comes with many benefits, making it an activity that’s definitely worthwhile. The question is, what are the benefits?
Enhancing your child’s language skills
Children learn from what they hear, which is why kids tend to speak like their parents. Storytime can act as a stepping stone to language development, as when they are being read to, children will hear new words and phrases. With that in mind, while it’s all well and good reading your child the same books again and again, it’s also important to switch things up and read different books or choose a story series, like Camp Nana Papa or Percy and Friends, for instance. Book series offer a range of different adventures, allowing children to see them doing all sorts of different things. There’s also the fact that most parents involve their children in story time by pointing to pictures or asking them questions about the story, which encourages them to think about the book and discuss it, helping to improve their language skills.
Soothes and relaxes
Most kids associate storytime with warmth, cuddles, and fun, which is one of the reasons that they enjoy it so much. Studies have shown that when a child is laid in bed or sat on their parent’s lap, reading to them can help to calm and soothe them, reducing their stress levels. By lowering your child’s stress levels, you can also help to improve their concentration skills, as a lot of children struggle to concentrate. When a child’s mind is calm, they find it much easier to focus on the task at hand, which is important when they are in school and are learning.
Improving and developing your child’s logic skills
When kids first hear a story, they won’t catch everything, but when they head a second time, they will learn more about the story and characters. Children can learn patterns and sequences from stories; they can also improve their logic skills and make educated guesses about what the outcome of a story will be. Recognizing patterns and sequences will help your child when learning at school, which is another reason that reading to your child is so important. Logic skills might not seem that important, but the fact is that they are because it’s these skills that allow a child to determine the outcomes of certain things, which is vital for their learning, as well as for their socialization skills.
There is no getting away from the face that bedtime stories are beneficial for kids, and that reading a book to their child before bed is something that all parents should do.
Leave a Reply