Why include bedtime stories as part of the bedtime routine?
Delightful Dreamers, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.
Bedtime routines are an important part of sleep hygiene.
They help our bodies know what is coming and prepare for sleep. For our little ones, I love having bedtime stories as part of the bedtime routine. They can be a great way to relax and unwind and also have connection time before bed.
Also, reading books together has benefits. Reading helps with language development and learning new words. Children who are read to tend to have a larger vocabulary. Research has also suggested that children who are read to do better in math as well.
Further, reading with our children helps them learn that reading is fun and it sets the stage for them to enjoy reading independently as they grow. If our children enjoy reading, it is something that will only help them to continue to learn as they grow.
It can also be enjoyable for us as parents to read to our children. Many of my favorite bedtime books have loving messages, which is something I really enjoy. I like leaving my daughter with positive feelings at the end of the day.
Now, I know there can be times where it may be hard and our kids don’t want to sit still or pay attention to the books.
If this is a stage you are in, then you might choose to do one short book as part of the routine. You could also incorporate movement into the book, having your little one act out different parts of the book for example. Also, you could just look at the pictures or choose picture books that don’t have any words and talk about what you see.
Good Night, Gorilla is an example of a book without words. We have loved Good Night, Gorilla for bedtime. Over the years we have just looked at the pictures, talked about what we saw, and have made up stories. My daughter always enjoyed ‘reading’ it to me.
Here are some more of our favorite bedtime books:
The Going to Bed Book by Sandra Boynton has always been a favorite at our house. I like how it goes through a bedtime routine, I love the rhyming and cadence of the book. I also love how it ends with being rocked to sleep. It’s a sweet book that our little ones can relate to. I’m a big fan of her books, they are always a fun choice!
Goodnight Moon is a classic bedtime story. There’s not too many words and it’s just a nice, calm book to enjoy before bed.
Llama Llama Red Pajama plays out what bedtime can be like when our little ones are experiencing separation anxiety. The book ends with Mama Llama coming back to baby llama and sharing the reminder that “Mama Llama’s always near, even if she’s not right here”. You may want to check this one out before reading it with your little one and also keep their personality in mind. I have heard stories from some families of their children starting to call out for them at bedtime only after reading this book, but this was never an issue for us.
I Love You Through and Through This isn’t a specific bedtime book, but it’s all about the ways a child is loved. It’s told from a neutral narrator, so it’s not mom or dad specific. It rhymes and it is a fun read.
Good Night, I Love You This is another sweet bedtime book that goes through the bedtime routine and ends with a loving message. It’s by the same author as I Love You Through and Through.
Be Brave Little One Another book that’s not bedtime specific, but it’s a favorite of ours. It talks about all the ways you can be brave, including that you can be brave when you are scared. It touches on different emotions and there’s a theme of being yourself.
Bedtime Snuggles This is a bedtime story that takes place at a farm and goes through lots of different animals getting ready for bed and it ends with a mother putting her child to bed.
5-Minute Disney Classic Stories There are so many different books in the 5-Minute stories series. We have several of them and we love them all. These have more text than the rest of the books on this list. We started reading these ones around the time my daughter was 3. She’s six now and we still read them at bedtime!
These are just some of the books on our bookshelf for bedtime stories!
I like to rotate in different books based on the season and any holidays that are coming up as well. Books have been part of our bedtime routine since my daughter was a baby and it is a part of the routine that we all enjoy.
Do you have a favorite bedtime story that you read with your child? Share in the comments!
