Bedtime stories are a beautiful family tradition. Not only is it quality time with your child, but reading is a valuable way of learning for a child. Reading helps develop a child’s language skills while stimulating his or her imagination and creativity. Moreover, books are good for kids’ mental health.
Reading for Toddlers
Toddlers learn to speak mostly through hearing, but as a child learns to read, his or her language skills improve with this new ability. Children who read much when they are young are likely to enjoy it while they are teens as well, and this can help children grow up articulate and more inclined to learn well in school.
Children’s Books and Television
Imagine what kids can learn from television, and how easy it is to put a child in front of the television and have him or her entertained while you are busy. It is a simple solution to restless children. But one of the problems with television is that it does not require much thought or brain power, what with everything laid out for the viewer to see and hear.
Reading, on the other hand, is an interactive activity, requiring the reader to imagine out what they are reading. Children’s books also often present healthier ideas and scenarios to children than what television has to offer, having a better overall effect on a child’s mental health.
Children’s Imagination and Children’s Mental Health
Children have a naturally active imagination, one that allows them to create fictional lives for their toys and to pretend. As a child reads, this imagination is fed and becomes stronger, building a child’s creative abilities. As experts say, playing and interacting with others are also healthy pass-times for a young child to develop mentally and socially.
Bed time stories are the perfect blend of playing, interacting with others and reading for toddlers and young children. Consider the benefits to children’s health and take the time to read good stories with your children before bed.
Sources:
Media-Awareness.ca. “Televisions Impact on Kids”
KidsHealth.org. “How TV Affects Your Child”
What do you think?