Reading a children's book to your kids before bedtime can be beneficial in several ways.

It is not surprising that reading to children is majorly beneficial to their development. The bedtime story is one of those parenting traditions that persist through the years. Yet in today’s increasingly fast-paced era, the bedtime story often forgotten or neglected due to our busy schedules and long working hours. 

Here are some reasons why you should read your children bedtime stories:

1.     Enhance their imagination

Their imaginations can be stimulated by reading. They visualise the events in their thoughts when they listen to stories. It is a fantastic technique to foster children's creativity. As kids grow older, they can utilise their creativity to create original bedtime tales to share with you. They will benefit from having a vivid imagination in many aspects of their lives.

 2.     Improve their language

Kids can better understand the language by listening to bedtime stories. They hear the words uttered loudly and in context, subsequently they may pick up new words and suitable usage techniques from it. Children's bedtime stories can also aid in the development of their listening abilities. When kids are actively participating in what they are hearing, they learn best. A study at Rhode Island Hospital found that kids who were regularly read to had a larger “receptive” vocabulary than kids who weren’t, in another words, they know more words at a younger age!

3.     Sleep better at night

It helps her unwind both physically and mentally before night. Even if she is overstimulated, reading a story will let her immerse herself in a whole new world and relax. Sharing bedtime stories help take their minds off the day’s activities, and can also calm them down if they feel agitated or anxious.

4.     Get closer with each other

There is no substitute for a quantity of time. Setting aside just 10 minutes a day to read your child some stories, without distractions, can make a big difference in establishing good communication habits. Your child would feel they are a priority in your life despite your busy schedule. Reading bedtime stories often makes cosy memories that will last a lifetime for your children.

 5.     Brush up their emotional intelligence

Children were able to expand their emotional vocabulary by reading bedtime stories. They can better express their feeling better and are less likely to succumb to emotional breakdowns that can happen when they were struggling with feelings that they don’t know how to describe. Additionally, their listening skills will be trained indirectly. You may get frustrated initially if your child was easily distracted and interrupted the story with questions. Take a deep breath and understand this is a good opportunity to train their attention. Your children will slowly put more attention in understanding the story plot as time goes by.

 6.     Boost their creativity 

Reading can also help to enhance their creativity. As they listen to you tell the story, they will be able to imagine the characters and the setting in their minds. This can help them to come up with their ideas and stories. It can also help in their problem-solving ability as they will be able to think of different ways to solve the problems in the story.