Bedtime stories? Yes!

There's no doubt that daily bedtime reading is one of the most essential evening routines, you can create for your child. Also, there's a good chance, you can still remember the thrill of a bedtime story read by your mum or dad back in the day when you were little. Even though the crazy world we live in now is much different than the one remember as children, some things should stay the same and bedtime reading is certainly one of them. This will be a great time to bond and have some fun, also a wonderful way to end the day.

If you are hoping to learn a few things about the benefits of bedtime reading, keep going and check some of the thing we found for you:

1. Builds imagination and attention

Reading to your child every night is a great way to improve their attention, incredibly useful skill they will carry into adulthood. A child who learns to pay attention at an early age gets more comfortable during some more demanding tasks later on.

Love for books is contagious! Children who love reading do better in their school work since their concentration, assertiveness, memory, and creativity are better than non-readers.

If you mimic the voices of the characters, add a bit of drama when necessary, it builds your child's imagination like nothing else. They learn to associate the sounds with the character and get lost in the world created in the story. If you are good at doing it, they'll learn it from you and will sooner be reading it along with you. This will make the bedtime routine more fun for both of you.

2. Introducing good habits

Reading is one of those good habits we hope children will have. No one likes to keep pushing their child into reading. Getting your child started with bedtime stories at an early age will take the load off of your shoulders. As soon as they learn to do it, it will become a habit for the rest of their life. We all would want our kid to unplug from their screen to read a book. 

It’s amazing how kids can learn from characters they read about. It's up to you as a parent to get a wonderful collection of books for them. Spending that precious time together shows them care and love, which they sure will carry forward.

3. Promotes motor development

A book with beautiful pictures and patterns is good enough to attract the attention of the youngest reader. If your child is just learning to grip and sit, storytime is the perfect time for them to master their skill. Your child will be trying to reach and hold the book and probably everything else you are doing, like turning a page. You can let them do it under your supervision which will get them involved in their own way.

4. It helps to build bond.

When parents make it a routine to read a bedtime story or two with their kids, it becomes a special time when they get to snuggle, giggle and enjoy reading together. Also if you think about it your voice will be the last thing your child will hear before they fall asleep.

Parents can use this time to instill some good morals based on the storyline. If you can’t be around during the day, you could at least make it before bedtime and relieve your kids of the day's pressure. 

At least 60% of the parents, according to NLT research, get their kids to open up using books. It's a unique opportunity to get to know them better.

5. It expands their vocabulary and help with spelling

When reading, you can assist them with words they struggle to pronounce and help them build up their vocabulary in a very positive environment.

Even a toddler too young to understand the contents will get familiar with new words and its sounds which will be a step to learn new words.

How much to spend on reading?

Research by NLT shows that at least 10 minutes of reading with your child daily, is beneficial. But of Corse, you can read for longer than that. The idea is to interact with your kids, so don't wait until they are too tired to pay attention. As part of the routine, be sure to get your kids ready for bedtime after a shower, changing into pajamas, and let them hold their favourite stuffed animal. You can both read the bedtime story and watch them fall asleep by the time you finish reading.

When to start reading bedtime stories?

You can start reading bedtime stories to your kids at any age. They could be a few months old or a few years old. The best time is, however, between 0 and 3 years. During this age, your child is developing their vocabulary, social skills, and other cognitive skills. Besides, even a newborn knows your voice, and in as much as they may not understand what you are reading, they love hearing your voice and its tone, as it soothes them.