“Let me tell you a story” he said.
“There’s plenty of room for us both under our story-blanket, if we just sit close enough”.
“Now listen closely: ‘Once there was this boy, called Nils, who got turned into a pixie and could talk to animals. He travelled all over Sweden on the back of his white goose….”
Bedtime stories have long been known to foster parent-child bonds and prepare children for sleep.
But lately researchers have found that you’re actually boosting your child’s brain development while you and your little one are reading a book together.
The gains range from improved logic skills to lower stress levels to rewiring children’s brains to quicken their mastery of language.
It’s never too late – one to two hours a day for eight weeks reading can change the brain activity to look like that of the good readers.
The magic of “One More Time!”:
reading a book repeatedly can help a child develop his logic skills.
The first time children hear a book, they don’t catch everything, says Virginia Walter, Ph.D., associate professor in the graduate school of education and information studies at the University of California, Los Angeles.
But as they hear it again and again, they start to notice patterns and sequences.
They’ll also learn to predict what will happen next based on their prior knowledge.
Later, these lessons in recognizing patterns, understanding sequences, and predicting outcomes will help children in other areas, from math and science to music and writing.
You can read the whole article “The Brainy Benefits of Bedtime Stories” about the reseach behind here.
Soothing Snuggles
To best confer reading’s cognitive benefits, a child’s experiences with books should be enjoyable. Associate reading with emotional warmth and fun.
When kids are cozy and comfortable, reading aloud to them can even lower their stress levels.
To enhance the calming nature of storytime at your house, cuddle up with your child in a comfortable place, with his favorite blankets and stuffed animals nearby.
“Relax and just enjoy being with your child,” Dr. Gorski says.
“Just think of what that close time you’re spending together will do for your own cortisol levels!”
You can buy our super soft “Bed Time Story” blankets here:
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