One of the best ways to reinforce literacy skills in children at an early age is reading bedtime stories. Children will have the added advantage of expanding their understanding of language and reading. Having a bedtime routine will build a strong foundation of new vocabulary, phonics, and reading comprehension.

Plus, bedtime stories encourage children to enjoy reading. Reading bedtime stories is a perfect opportunity to offer your precious time and attention to your loved one and reinforce literacy skills in children. Apart from preparing them for sleep, bedtime stories boost brain development, vocabulary, and language skills. Share a bedtime story with your child and see how the following benefits will unfold.

Benefits of reading bedtime stories

1.      Contributes to brain development

Over the years, studies have shown that parents who do reading bedtime stories create a positive impact on their children’s brain development. Reading stories helps in the activation of specific brain areas that support imagery and comprehension. According to a study conducted back in 2015, reading exposure correlates positively with neural activation in the left-side temporal occipital region that supports language processing.

This means that reading stories to your child on assignment help UK or essay writing service UK will help them master their language through visuals, sound, and words that can be included in their vocabulary. Now is the best time to start reading to your child to reinforce literacy skills. Regardless of whether they are too young to talk, reading aloud will help them become familiar with the language that will increase their chances of success in school.

2.      Lowers stress levels

Reading is one of the best ways to relieve stress. Stress negatively affects a child’s health by disrupting sleep patterns, healthy eating habits, and increasing chronic health issues. Reading helps in relieving stress allowing your child’s mind to wander off to places it’s never been. Reading also allows your child to leave behind their troubled mind so that they can loosen up and relax. Parents who cuddle with children help in reducing cortisol levels for them to concentrate and relax.

3.      Enhances communication skills

Conversations are great when you and your child talk about things that relate to and interest you. This is where the benefits of bedtime stories come in. You should encourage your child to engage in conversations while reading them bedtime stories. Communication plays an important role in improving social skills and it can be honed by reading books.

You should make reading interactive by asking your child to guess what will happen in the story and why they think so. Let your child know that you’ll welcome all their opinions to make them feel comfortable while voicing their thoughts. As you read, take turns, use different tones and teach them how to pronounce different words. Getting familiar with different vowels will help your child pronounce words better and distinguish differences between sounds.

4.      Improves logical skills

Has your child ever asked you to read their favorite book every night for several weeks? It may get tiring to read a book over and over. However, with repetition, you’ll observe patterns quickly and master this area.

Children usually start taking note of patterns when you repeat them. They start remembering rhyming words and learn to predict outcomes on certain scenes using clues that they pick up from the stories that they read. Developing logical skills as early as you can help your child observe patterns and structures easily and tackle math problems. Exercising logic will promote reasoning and critical thinking skills.

Making bedtime stories fun

There are lots of simple ways to make bedtime stories fun for both you and your child. Here are several effective tips:

• Use hand socks or puppets
• Turn on fun lights while reading
• Ensure that both of you are comfortable
• Act out specific action words or sounds
• Read character parts using funny voices
• Get books with picture projections that you can put on a ceiling

By creating an enthusiastic atmosphere around bedtime stories, you’ll start loving books and finding joy in them. Plus, you’ll create fun and long-lasting memories.

Adding diversity to bedtime stories

Children tend to fall in love with a specific book or books and may request you to repeat reading to them a dozen times. You can read it as many times as they request you to. However, variety is essential. So, how do you solve this puzzle?

• Consider reading more than one book. Allow them to read their favorite books plus another book
• Get your children excited by picking a weekly theme about what this week will be
• Surprise your kids with brand new gifts

Conclusion

Reading bedtime stories every day to your child is one of the best ways to reinforce literacy skills in children. It will help them learn new vocabulary, give room for questioning, and connect words. This is one of the best ways to foster language and learning. The earlier you start reading bedtime stories, the easier it will be for your child to learn.

Sacramento offers a wide variety of opportunities for kids to enjoy and have fun all-year-round! Check out our list of kids resources. Are you looking for more things to do with kids around the greater Sacramento area? Browse through our places to go and camps section. If you’re even more curious and seek to learn more about kids’ topics, tips, and guides, check out our parenting blog posts.

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