Why are Bedtime Stories Important for Children?

A freelance SEO piece originally created 25/9/2011.

Bedtime stories are more than just pretty pictures and rhythmic lines of rhetoric; it’s a time to bond with your child and impart essential skills that they require for their linguistic and moral development. If you’re tiring of Topsy and Tim, or can’t bear to hear another verse of ‘we’re going on a bear hunt’, then read on for a parental pick-me-up. You’ll be back on the reading wagon in no time.     

Bonding and communication

This may seem like a fairly obvious point, but you’d be surprised how often it falls by the wayside with the early mornings and discarded wet wipes. To a child, time spent reading a book is also bonding time; an opportunity to get mum/dad/gran/big brother on their own and an opportunity to ask questions. By regularly sharing the experience of engaging with the story and the characters, you create a unique bond with your child, as well as opening the floor to discussion. This quality time gives you a great opening to hear what your child has to say and in return they can improve their communication skills. 

How else will a child learn values or morals?

Ok, well they will learn some of this from you, but a lot of this is picked up via. other mediums; TV, Playgroup and watching others interact. By reading to your child from a young age, you can aid their moral development and help to shape them into a ‘good person’. After all, it’s not often that the evil witch wins, or poor Cinderella doesn’t get to go to the ball and instead spends her evening scrubbing the toilet. The ‘moral of the story’ encourages children to interact with different people and in different situations in a positive way, with little social pressure.  By discussing the story and its outcomes with a child, they can also learn from your opinions and reactions to the text.       

Language Acquisition and cognitive development

Given the number of phonic-friendly books out there, I’m sure most parents will realise the importance of a bedtime story for a child’s linguistic and cognitive development.

At a younger age, regular exposure to language can aid linguistic development and encourage your child to produce that all important ‘mama’ or ‘dada’ (although while we’re on the subject it’s more likely to be a ‘baba’ – Bs are easier to produce) and for pre-schoolers it’s great preparation for what they’ll face in the classroom: the sooner they get used to reading and analysing texts, the better. Repetitive stories and sing-alongs also help a child to develop comprehension and logic, as well as memory.  

Routine

A good bedtime story can be a great way to establish a good ‘going-to-bed’ routine; the perfect way to avoid those evening tantrums and ‘sudden’ tummy aches. In the midst of finger painting, tea times and mummy getting home from work, it takes most children a little while to wind-down at the end of the day (and even longer to actually go to sleep). By introducing a night time tradition like a bed time story, your child gets quality time with you before they go to bed and you get to encourage reading as a regular activity.