| What are the benefits of reading stories to your | | | | have them calm and ready for bed. I know that you |
| children and what's the best way of doing it? How to | | | | might be tired and distracted, but try to make this |
| you make it interesting? How do you increase their | | | | time focused |
| learning? Make story telling time a pleasure for both | | | | 2. Picking the right bedtime story |
| parent and child with these top storytelling tips. | | | | A great bedtime story has a sense of familiarity but |
| THE POWER OF STORYTELLING | | | | with some magic or mystery, repetition, great |
| When you see an indifferent, bored or restless kid | | | | characters and a storyline that moves along. |
| suddenly entranced by a beguiling story tale, you can | | | | Goldilocks and The Three Bears, for example, |
| fully appreciate the power of storytelling and the | | | | contains familiar and related objects and situations |
| rewards it brings to both listener and storyteller. Here | | | | such as a breakfast setting of porridge, chairs, beds, |
| are just a few of the benefits of telling bedtime | | | | a mummy, a daddy etc. It also achieves an air of |
| stories to your child: | | | | mystery "who's been sitting in my bed" and magic by |
| 1. Storytelling helps you bond with your child | | | | having three bears at the center of the tale. |
| Storytelling is one of the best ways to create a bond | | | | A classic tale such as Jack and The Beanstalk has |
| with your child. You are communicating and engaging | | | | wonderful characters from the old lady Jack meets |
| with your child on a one-to-one basis. It is also a | | | | along the way, the giant's wife, and of course, the |
| good chance for your child to find out something | | | | wonderfully scary Giant with those memorable lines |
| about you too as you can put your personal touches | | | | "Fe Fi Fo Fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman". It |
| into the story. | | | | is a great chance of course for you to put on your |
| 2. Story time forms part of a restful routine before | | | | most dramatic voice. |
| bedtime | | | | A tale like Three Little Pigs has lots of repetition so |
| Most parents understand the enormous benefits of | | | | the child is able to anticipate parts of the story. The |
| sleep for a young child. However, many toddlers | | | | big bad wolf goes up to one of the little pig's houses |
| refuse to go to bed. Creating a quiet and regular | | | | and he will blow and will blow....but what will happen |
| schedule before bedtime helps get your child to go | | | | next!? |
| to bed. | | | | It is hard to go wrong if you pick one of the classic |
| 3. Story time is one of the most effective | | | | fairytales: The Ugly Duckling, Cinderella, The Frog |
| language-learning tools | | | | Princess, Goldilocks and The Three Bears, The |
| Kids do not know the difference between learning | | | | Princess And The Pea, Rapunzel and so many more. |
| time and play time. For them, almost all the time is | | | | As for the best modern bedtime stories: try the |
| play time. Reading a bedtime story is one of the best | | | | works of Julia Donaldson, Maurice Sendak's Where |
| ways of teaching language skills to young children. | | | | The Wild Things Are and of course, Dr Seuss. |
| By the way, do not feel that you have to pause the | | | | 3. It helps to know the story |
| story to explain every new word. If your child asks, | | | | If you are already familiar with the bedtime story, |
| by all means, explain the word, but a lot of the time | | | | you can turn your primary focus onto your child. Eye |
| they will get the meaning through context. | | | | contact is a key part of bonding and you can't |
| Sometimes it is good enough for now to introduce | | | | engage your child by looking in their eyes if your |
| concepts that will be explained later. For example, | | | | head is in a book. Knowing the story also means you |
| jokes such as puns may be very difficult to explain | | | | can be spontaneous and ad-lib a little. |
| and you don't need to. You are simply introducing the | | | | 4. Delivery |
| overall concept of a 'joke' which they will learn to | | | | Speak with passion and engagement and you are |
| understand in finer detail as their learning progresses. | | | | sure to hold your child in rapt attention. Obviously do |
| 4. Story time teaches so much more than language | | | | not rush, keep to a pace your child can follow but at |
| Storytelling does not introduce simply language and | | | | the same time, there's no need to string out every |
| vocabulary. Ethics, geology, botany, physics, zoology, | | | | word. Act as if you are hearing the story for the |
| chemistry, human behavior, social skills..all these areas | | | | first time too: express surprise, humor, tension as the |
| may be introduced through seemingly simple tales. | | | | story goes along. |
| 5. Storytelling time will help your child to concentrate | | | | 5. Participation |
| and focus | | | | As your child grows older, encourage them to |
| The nightly bedtime story is most of the most simple | | | | participate in the storytelling. They can repeat "Fe Fi |
| yet effective means of forming the habit of | | | | Fo Fum" with you, for instance, or you can ask them |
| concentration, of fixed attention in your child. | | | | what they think will happen next. Obviously, hold off |
| BEST WAYS TO READ STORIES TO YOUR CHILD | | | | if your child is quite tired (by the way, you don't |
| Here are simple tips for reading stories to your | | | | have to finish the story if they are too tired, just |
| children. | | | | bookmark for the next night) or busy with their milk |
| 1. Schedule time for storytelling and turn it into part | | | | or too young. Before they learn to read, you can |
| of your bedtime routine | | | | point at the pictures. Once they start to learn to |
| Getting your child ready for bedtime is often the | | | | read, you can follow the words with your finger or |
| second most stressful, busy time of the day, next to | | | | ask them to do the same. Do not dismiss their |
| the morning off-to-school rush. As mentioned, you | | | | questions even if they are not relevant. This |
| should make storytelling part of your night time ritual. | | | | interaction and questioning is a valuable part of their |
| Switch off the TV and any other noise, put away | | | | cognitive learning. |
| toys and other distractions. Dim the lights except for | | | | 6. Enjoy yourself |
| your reading lamp, settle your child down on the sofa | | | | And finally, enjoy story time, do not see it as a |
| with their warm glass of milk and read them an | | | | chore, and your child will feel that sense of passion, |
| engaging story. This creates an atmosphere and | | | | concentration and joy. |
| routine your child will learn to understand, and will | | | | |