The day is winding down and it is time to think about bedtime. One fun way to encourage your child to get ready for bed is with the promise of a story when they are done. As you cuddle together and enjoy the book, you can feel confident that you are contributing to your young child’s development in so many positive ways.
Having stories read to them helps your child develop their listening skills, concentration and attention span, especially if you engage them by asking them questions about the story such as, why do you think that happened? What do you think they will do next? What would you do in this situation? Ask them to relate and compare events in the book to their own life. Another benefit of asking questions is the development of their reading comprehension skills and helping them learn to make inferences, connections and predictions. All essential literacy skills.
Choosing books with a wide range of topics will Increase your child’s knowledge about the world around them and everyday life in addition to helping them understand relationships and develop social skills. While listening to stories, they will have the opportunity to develop an extensive vocabulary and language skills while improving their visual memory.
Reading together also encourages the development the bond between parent and child and is a fun way to spend time together. You can feel great knowing you are helping your child to develop a love of reading that will last a lifetime!
“The more that you read, the more you will know, the more that you know, the more places you will go” – Dr. Suess
We asked our Jennifer Jones Team members what some of their favourite bedtime stories are and think you will enjoy them as much as we do. Perhaps you would like to share them with your family tonight!
For the very young:
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise
I’ll Love You Forever and Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch – actually anything by Robert Munsch!
Brown Bear Brown Bear by Bill Martin Jr/Eric Carle
Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls by Elena Favilli
The Party by Barbara Reid
The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Plfster
For slightly older:
Charlottes Web by E.B. White
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
Misty of the Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry
Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
