How to Read a Story Before Bed

Reading stories to children is a great way to spend time together. Reading has been shown to increase children’s vocabulary and, at the same time, build an emotional bond between caregivers and children. You can read bedtime stories to your baby while he’s still an infant, and continue doing this until he’s still interested.

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Read bedtime stories to your baby

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Let’s start early. It may sound silly to read stories to babies before they can understand the language or focus on pictures in books, but it will help them associate the warmth and relaxation of your presence. With the experience of reading stories, it is possible that children will later become a lover of books.

Even in the womb, babies can already hear your voice and associate it with you. In infancy, your baby loves to hear your voice and will learn the rhythms of language.

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Make stories part of a series of bedtime activities. Having a bedtime routine will make it easier for babies to fall asleep and ensure that they sleep longer. It’s also a great time to sit next to each other and help your baby wind down after a day.

Consider showering in the evening, changing into pajamas, reading a story, and turning off the lights. Do the same routine every day at the same time. ^{[1] X Research Source}

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Try the classics for babies. Babies can’t understand words or a complicated story yet. Therefore, choose a book that is beautiful, interesting, and easy to listen to. The sound of words is also educational for a baby. You can choose books with pleasant rhymes. Also, look for books that are short because babies can’t pay attention for too long when they’re tired in the evening.

Some great bedtime stories in English for babies include “Goodnight Moon” by Margaret Wise Brown, “Bear Snores On” by Karma Wilson, and “It’s Time to Come.” go to sleep” (Time for Bed) by Mem Fox. ^{[2] X Research Source}

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Read in a gentle and relaxed voice. You can change the pitch of your voice to capture your child’s attention and help them understand the rhythm of the words. Because it’s time to go to bed, don’t read stories that are too exciting. They can be overstimulating to a sleepy baby and make it harder for them to fall asleep.

Read stories to preschool and kindergarten age children

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Let your child choose books. There are many ways you can do this, depending on your child’s personality and their ability to choose books.

Take your kids to the library and let them choose some comic books to take home. For children who are exposed to books for the first time, choose two to three books; Kids who love reading time and want to hear a new story every night can bring in five to ten books. When it’s time to read stories, let your child choose from the books they bring back from the library. You can also let your child choose from books at home if available.
Also, if your child needs your help choosing books, limit the selection to two to three books and let them choose from there.

Read stories to older children

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Try reading a long story together. Before your child learns to read, you can read books to them. As your child gets older, it may be more enjoyable to read passages between them, or ask your child to read to you. The goal is one chapter per night.

Many elementary schools require students to read for a certain amount of time each night. Incorporate this exercise into your child’s story time, it’s a great way to get things done and have fun at the same time.

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Don’t worry about who picks the book. Sometimes, children will want to choose, which is very good. If your child isn’t too picky about this, you can introduce him to your favorite story books as a child, or make a list of popular children’s stories to find something interesting.

Some classics for elementary-age children include Gertrude Chandler Warner’s “Boxcar Children” series, Roald Dahl’s The BFG , and Norton’s The Phantom Tplbooth Juster.
Kids 12 and up probably enjoy books like JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series or even JRR Tpkien’s Lord of the Rings series .

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Don’t forget old books your child loves. Even when children are old enough to read long stories, they may still enjoy reading comic books from time to time. Let the child decide.

Remember that making time to read together is more important than worrying about the level or type of book you’re reading.

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Read stories together for as long as your child is interested. You do not need to set a time limit when reading stories. It’s normal for older children to still enjoy reading bedtime stories. If you have a lot of kids in your home, the oldest child may still enjoy participating in story time with their younger siblings.

At some point, your child may want to read the story on his own. That doesn’t matter either. You and your child have had many years of reading bedtime stories together.

Implement good story reading strategies

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Choose a comfortable place to read. You may enjoy reading a story in a rocking chair or a favorite spot. You can also sit in the bed together to help your baby sleep more easily.

Have young children sit on your lap and wrap them in blankets while you read the story. Older children can snuggle next to you, and you put your arm around their shoulders. If the child doesn’t like it, that’s okay. Being together is the most important thing.

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Focus on your child’s interests. While there are traditional bedtime stories (like Goodnight Moon ), you can read almost any other genre. Most children have an interest in certain types of books, and their interests will change over time. You can choose any story that doesn’t belong to tradition.

For example, many children like finding books, or some like reading books about dogs. What matters is the time you spend reading with your child in a relaxing and quiet environment.

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Read with expression. Children of all ages love hearing expressive voices while reading stories. When you read expressively, your child responds to your enthusiasm and listens very attentively to the story. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

Give each character a different voice and don’t be afraid to sound silly.
You can help your child predict the next event by adding appropriate breaks or expressions. For example, instead of saying, “Out the window, she saw a big black bear,” you could say, “Out the window she saw a… big… HUGE BEAR!”

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Encourage children with early education strategies. Even if your child can’t read yet, there are a few things you can do to help them acquire the skills they need to prepare to learn to read. Please try:

Point to words as you read them. This helps teach your child that the words on the page are related to the spoken words.
Predict what will happen next. Ask your child to predict what will happen on the next page. This encourages them to use contextual clues and decipher the twist of the story.
Read a few words, then ask young children to read one word. You can point to words your child has just learned, or ask them to figure out how to read a word they don’t already know.

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Ask children questions. You don’t have to read an entire story; You can stop at any point to discuss what you’ve just read, ask your child a few questions, or let him or her take a close look at the pictures. A bedtime story should be light and interesting.

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Please read enthusiastically. After a long day, you might be interested in reading Goodnight Moon when all you want to do is put your kids in bed and treat yourself to some quiet time. However, your child will immediately recognize your enthusiasm or indifference.

Remember that this time is what your child looks forward to during the day. So, give it your all and enjoy this time.

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Choose books that are one level above your child’s reading comprehension level. Children learn a lot from bedtime stories. You can help your child expand their vocabulary by reading books that are a bit more difficult, so they are exposed to new words and long sentences. If your child is only 4 years old, read books for 5 to 6 year olds. In general, the recommended age for comics can be printed on the back of the cover.

If you come across a word your child doesn’t understand, define it quickly as you read. For example, while reading, you might say: “The princess has memorized the secret code. “Memorize” means you learned it so you can remember it later.”
Don’t read books that are too difficult. If you find your child is losing interest, maybe you should choose another book.

Warning

You should look through the book before reading it to your child, especially if the illustrations on the cover make you think the book is scary or unpleasant.

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