Why is bedtime reading so important?
According to research, reading to children makes them more likely to succeed in life. Here, to celebrate National Read a Book Day and Roald Dahl Day this month, Mrs Webster, Pilgrims’ Headteacher looks at other reasons to embrace a bedtime story.
Reading plays such an important part in a child’s development. As well as teaching them how to form words and sentences, it helps concentration while strengthening the memory and encouraging imagination and creativity. Also, from a parent’s point of view, reading together strengthens the bond you have with your child and enables you to spend some quality time together.
The earlier you start, the better but it’s never too late to begin. Reading to your baby improves their phonological awareness, which is the ability to recognise sounds and the structure of words and this will help when they learn to read.
When children reach pre-school age and begin to learn to read and write themselves, the importance of bedtime stories becomes greater. As the saying goes – practice makes perfect, so the more books they read at home, the faster they will learn, and this will help them at school.
So why bedtime?
Bedtime reading is a tradition which has been in place for centuries.
However, results from a survey by Settle Stories revealed that 69% of people don’t have the time to read at bedtime.
This is because parents lead very busy lives and finding that time to read with your child can be difficult, particularly if you work late, unsociable hours or have other commitments in the evening.
We would encourage parents to try an establish a reading routine that fits around you. A story three to four times a week will benefit your child. Ideally, children will benefit from routine so setting specific days that you can enjoy a story with your child at a set time will give them something to look forward to.
Bedtime reading is a great way to relax, unwind and get ready for a new day so, if you can fit it into an evening it will benefit both you and your child.
As the children go back to school after the summer holidays, it’s the perfect time to begin a new reading routine at home. Roald Dahl Day took place on Friday 13th September, so it is the perfect excuse to explore some really exciting stories.
Roald Dahl has written some of the best children’s books of all time. His stories include Matilda, The Twits and Charlie the Chocolate Factory. If you need some inspiration, read this article.