Why are bedtime stories so good?

Sleeping is crucial to growth and development, because children do all their growing and much of their learning during sleep. Human Growth Hormone (HGH) is released as we sleep which governs our children’s growth and development.  In their dreams our children work through the day’s problems and future strategies are tested in their imaginations.

It makes sense then that we should do all we can to ensure our children are comfortable, relaxed, secure and happy when they are getting ready to sleep, safely tucked up in bed.

Bedtime stories are an excellent way to relax your children and demonstrate how important and loved they are. Taking the time at the end of a child’s day to sit with them for just a few minutes and tell them a story, gives them a sense of security that goes on into their dreams and enables relaxed, growth inducing rest.

Passing on traditions through stories

Bedtime stories are an age old tradition. Nursery rhymes and fables are used to pass on wisdom from one generation to the next. The archetypes and characters from children’s stories have been used for centuries to teach right from wrong because they give children insight into the workings and wonders of the world.

Building relationships with story

Mobile phones and screens can never be a replacement for mummy or daddy reading from a book and sharing pictures. Real human interaction is key for the development of correct body language and eye contact because children learn through watching. Adults who read stories provide a real life role model of a communicator that children can copy. This is something that a screen can never give your child.

Learning about each other at bedtime

A bed time story needn’t just be from a book or be a fairy tale. Children just love listening to their parents speak and you can use this time as an opportunity to tell them about your day.  Tell them about the interesting people you have seen and build them into your own stories. You might make up a story showing how they might behave or act in a situation. Perhaps you could tell a a story about how a princess has lovely manners and the nice things that happened to her when she used them. The imagination of a child is infinite and you can teach them much about the world just by making them curious and questioning.

Tips for being a good story teller

• Speak slowly and clearly as if you are full of amazemenet and wonder
• Tell the story using lots of hand gestures as communication is not just verbal
• Use your face to display as many emotions as possible as this is good non-verbal communication
• Use pauses to build suspense
• Talk quietly at times so the children have to listen very carefully to hear you and then shout to surprise them!
• Ask questions and involve your children as you tell your tale. “What do you think happened next?” is always a good way to keep interest and make them feel part of the show.
• If you use a book make sure your kids can see the pictures and let them talk about them
• Always finish the story with a happy ending where everyone is safe, this makes sure your children go to sleep happy and without worries
• Make sure you wind the story down at the end to leave your children feeling relaxed and sleepy.