Daniel Tiger has a bedtime routine of “Bath time, pjs, brush teeth, story and song and off to bed” (I know this well because we have sung it often – to my own tune – while reading that particular story). Ours is “Two stories, prayers and declarations, snuggle, holding hands and falling asleep” (though we might need to change it up a bit now that the girls are in bunk beds). Bedtime stories are not just part of wonderful memories but are part of building cognitive skills. They really should be part of your every night routine. If they are not, it’s not too late to start, so go ahead and do it!

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WHY DO WE WANT TO READ BEDTIME STORIES?

There is something so soothing about a bedtime story with your child. Maybe it is the pajama clad snuggly being sitting next to you, or maybe it is the secret joy that soon they will be asleep and you can eat the good chocolate without them wanting some.

Having bedtime stories as part of your bedtime routine can help your children calm down, relax and reduce stress levels. This will hopefully lead to better sleep. Hopefully. (Yet to fully see this is actuality in our house.)

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WHY ARE BEDTIME STORIES IMPORTANT?

• Provides cuddling time
• Opportunity to wind down (don’t jump about while reading)
• Provides opportunities to address issues or ideas (example: being a friend to someone who is different)
• One on one time (if you read to each child separately. I have twins so we tend to read together – and that way they get 2 books.)
• Helps with language development
• Increases vocabulary
• Fosters a lifelong love of books (hopefully)
• There is a clear neurological difference between children who have been read to from a young age and those who haven’t. But it doesn’t have to stay like that – in fact, adding daily reading to children who show the lack makes up the difference within a relatively short period of time. 
• Develops logic skills. Just think about every time they say “one more time!” It means that they are taking in all the information and missed parts of it. This will help your child recognise logical patterns and predict outcomes, which will be beneficial when later acquiring skills in maths, science and music. 
• Significantly improves their attention span.

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BEDTIME STORIES FOR BABIES

What are some good bedtime stories for babies? 

You can really read anything to them. I didn’t limit our books to simple alphabet books or board books – those are all excellent and we certainly did read them. Make the most of your library and borrow a selection of books to try out and see what you like as a parent!

Here are some suggestions:

• Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? By Eric Carle
• Each Peach Pear Plum by Allan and Janet Ahlberg
• Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
• Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, Jr
• Moo, Baa, La La La! by Sandra Boyton

Make the most of nursery rhyme books and simple rhymes. Remember that any bedtime story is great.

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BEDTIME STORIES FOR TODDLERS

The same applies for toddlers as it does for babies. You don’t have to restrict yourself to books only for a specific age group. I started reading simple chapter books to my girls when they were 3 so they could see how stories can develop. 

I really liked introducing rhyming books to my girls at this stage and books that could be sung. Introducing rhythm and rhyme was important to me in their language development. 

Here are some books that we loved to read at this stage (and still do):

• The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle (we read it both in English and German)
• On The Night You Were Born by Nancy Tillman (or any Nancy Tillman book)
• Ten Silly Wombats by Ed Allan (we could sing this)
• Give Me A Home Among The Gum Trees by Bob Brown and Wally Johnson
• Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdny
• How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? by Jane Yolen

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BEDTIME STORIES FOR KIDS

I could easily list 100 books to read for kids. My girls could probably list another 100. There would not be much overlap. It often surprises me what they want to read….again and again and again. Dr Seuss is a big hit (hooray!) and so are the Curious George books. We had a season of all the “How do Dinosaur” books. We’ve had a Daniel Tiger and Peppa Pig season. When it comes to reading bedtime stories to kids, just go with their interest. They want to read about trains? Read about trains. Dinosaurs? History? Whatever it is, go with it! Read fiction, read non-fiction, read poetry.

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MAKE IT YOUR OWN SPECIAL TIME

Maybe reading out loud is not your favorite thing. I get that. Maybe you feel stressed about all you need to do and it feels that a bedtime story is just one thing too many. I also get that. But when you look at the benefits of them, it really is worth the 5-10 minutes. Make it your own thing. Use some of the different websites that have stories being read out loud (oh, I wish I could do that for a living!). Here is one that we use from time to time. We love that it is different celebrities often reading their favorite books. You get such variety.

Enjoy this time together. May you find your own favorite books together.