After seeing the major improvement in my sons reading i have put together The 8 Benefits Of Bedtime Reading. It has really helped him in many ways and has developed his mindset in the process.
When it comes to bedtime my son demands a bedtime story. He loves it and all the crazy stories that unlock his imagination. Bedtime stories were never a thing growing up, it was more brush your teeth then bed. But as a child growing up in the 90’s with the lack of technology compared to today. Imagination was all I had sometimes.
Looking back on the worlds I used to create was of such enjoyment. As a parent I decided reading to my son was important not only for unlocking new worlds in his life but also through researching the psychological benefits he can get from it. The important part of bedtime reading is that this will be the last thing they hear before they enter their dreams. So I have outlined 8 benefits of bedtime reading has had on my son.
1. Makes Them Want To Read
Since we have read a book to our son at bedtime. Once the book is finished he automatically will read the same book for himself. Children want to be a mini version of you. So when you read to them and the enjoyment they get from this experience. Of course they want that for themselves. Now he’s an avid reader of David Walliams books. He loves Gangsta Granny.
2. Improves Their Reading Skills
It’s amazing the progress a child can make in such a short space of time. We have noticed a sharp improvement when we read more to him and he reads back to us. His vocabulary and the expression of words has improved immensely. Now his understanding of the world he lives in is far greater.
3. Unlocks Their Imagination
A great benefit of bedtime reading to children is the crazy adventures you can go on. The books they read unlocks their imagination to worlds they have never thought possible. The best thing is, it allows them to think anything is possible. Therefore, helps them develop their imagination which we hear and see him do daily. He has writing his own story’s about his sister called The Claw. It’s very funny and has been helped by the books we read at night.
4. 1-1 Bonding
What’s brilliant about bedtime reading is the bonding you get from it. We all have busy lives to lead and giving time to your children can be a balancing act. When they know that bedtime reading is for you and them. It gives them great comfort in that. When we get older these are memories we cherish with our parents. The times we spent together.
5. Teach Valuable Lessons Before Bed
Dr Seuss once wrote: “The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” For instance, we read as small child The Very Hungry Caterpillar which taught the story about the benefits of eating well while shedding light on the stages of a butterflies metamorphic life. Dr Seuss’ Lorax warns of the dangers of pollution and industrialisation in a world where the beautiful Truffala trees are all being cut down to make way for more things. “Progress” vs. the environment’s natural beauty continues to be a challenge, making this story eternally relevant. The story ends with hope and the realisation that “Unless someone like you…cares a whole awful lot…nothing is going to get better…It’s not.”
6. Makes For Good Dreams
A true benefit of bedtime stories is that your child will go to bed peace of mind. With the imagination on fire, they will take this to their dreams and intern lead to comforting and spectacular dreams. Well, that’s what we hear from our son anyway. It’s important to have good experience before bed as when we go sleep this is an important part of recalling what we have learnt the previous day to apply the next. When you were young you might have sneaked to watch a scary film. I had the fortunate and unfortunate joy of watching Chuckie. Now it’s laughable as to how not scary it is but in the early 90s as a small child the nightmare I had from watching it was scary, to say the least. That’s why it’s important to have a positive experience before bed.
7. Brain Development
By reading it helps build cognitive function within your child’s mind. A study showed that greater home reading exposure was strongly associated with activation of specific brain areas supporting semantic processing (the extraction of meaning from language). These areas are critical for oral language and later for reading. Brain areas supporting mental imagery showed particularly strong activation, suggesting that visualisation plays a key role in narrative comprehension and reading readiness, allowing children to “see” the story. As Dr Hutton said “This becomes increasingly important as children advance from books with pictures to books without them, where they must imagine what is going on in the text.” This study amongst others show the importance of reading and there is no better place to start than bedtime reading to develop your child’s brain.
8. Inspires Creation
What’s been amazing from all these stories we have read to him, is that it has inspired the creation of his storybook. Reading is a great form for unlocking the creative powers of your brain. Elon Musk the inventor of PayPal, Tesla and now Space x is a multi-billionaire who read hours upon hours of science fictions books that led to further reading of a plethora of other genres. This guided him and unlocked creativity in his brain that led to his invention. This shows the power of reading from a young age that allows further reading that inspires creation.
To conclude I hope The 8 Benefits Of Bedtime Reading has inspired you to get your old books out or visit your local charity shop to gather as many books as you can. Unlocking your child’s potential stems from bedtime reading. Why do all successful people have massive libraries in their homes? It’s because reading is important.
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