BEST BEDTIME STORIES FOR YOUR LITTLE ONES

We all remember being little with seemingly boundless energy to run around and play, especially before bedtime! Now have the roles flipped? Do you find yourself running behind your little one hoping they will decide to turn in for the night? We have put together a list of bedtime stories that may entice your little one to get into bed.

Internet resources and fellow parents may be telling you 7.30 pm is the right time to get your child in bed. But your toddler is not ready to hit the sack just yet. You are not the only frustrated parent; studies show that up to 30 per cent of young children have trouble sleeping. Research also shows that a consistent bedtime routine significantly improves sleep behaviours – helping kids settle into sleep and reducing night wakings.

However, your child still struggles to wind down for bed even after that consistent bedtime routine you have been following since their birth. A small tweak to the routine could do the trick (and possibly save your sanity): bedtime stories.

In this article, we discuss why adding books to your little one’s current bedtime routine can work wonders and list a few of our favourite bedtime stories.

Are Books Part of Your Child’s Bedtime Routine?

If you have lived in a multigenerational household (even if it was during vacations), there must have been at least one occasion when you drifted off to blissful sleep listening to one of your grandmother’s stories.

It’s not that grandma’s stories were boring, but they were designed to be lulling. Now, scientists have found that reading or listening to stories before bed has many benefits.

1. Helps in your child’s brain development: Reading to your child at bedtime can potentially improve their language skills. Listening to stories stimulates the neurons in their brain that processes language sounds. The more frequently your baby hears these sounds, the more familiar they are with them and hence the faster they become at processing them. Over a period of time, your child’s vocabulary grows and this forms an early foundation for their conversation skills. Bedtime stories are also known to improve logic skills and reduce stress levels in children.

2. Develops empathy in your child: Do you remember that feeling when you watch someone do something – for instance, score a goal in football or dance to a particular tune – and you feel exactly what they are feeling, as if you were doing it? Researchers have identified certain brain cells, named mirror neurons, as responsible for such feelings and the neuroscientific reason for empathy. And there have been studies which have found a correlation between mirror neurons and reading or listening to stories. Bedtime stories give babies a window to gaze at and think about the lives of the characters and the different activities they engage in. This helps them to relate to and in a way, empathise with these characters.

3. Better sleep quality for your little one: Stories transport the listener (and the reader!) to a different world. It helps a child imagine and be creative. All this relaxes and calms them, right before they drift off to sleep. Not to mention, a bedtime story book is a great way to escape screen time. A good story can ensure quality, uninterrupted (okay, less interrupted) sleep for your child.

Books for Sleepy Time

1. Dream Machine

Age group: 3 to 5 years

Author: Joshua Jay

Now you can truly wish your child ‘Sweet Dreams’ because this book is all about how dreams are made. This interactive book gives children a fun rundown of what it takes to fall asleep. With your child snug in their bed, you can help them turn the flaps, pull the levers, or spin the wheels. The vivid colours on each spread makes it a fun, calm reading experience for your tiny tot right before bed.