Do You Read a Bed Time Story to Your Kids?

YESSS!!! read to her EVERY DAY!!! A childs mind is so important and she needs to be read to!! It will help her in so many ways! You cannot imagine the impotance this plays in so many aspecs of her life! Please contact me for book info!! I will help yu get some great books that you both love to read over and over again!! Even if you can't rad to her at bedtime, but that usually is the best time rad at least one book to her everyday please!!!

Yeah! Bedtime stories!! We love them. I take my cue from my dd now. We used to read every night starting at about 9 months. She now some nights doesn't want them and I don't push it. It is not something I want to have a power struggle with. But yeah, reading together at night is a great way to transition from fun fun day to relaxing to go to bed. I think that is great you dd has a music box! We listen to a song about a music box with Boowah and Koala online (uptoten.com) and my dd loves it-
on a side note, reading the bedtime stories was great also because when my dh deployed we had a DVD made of him reading her favorite stories to her. It is a great thing to have a recording of either parent reading to the child if they have to be out of town.

Reading with your kids can be one the most relaxing and intimate times you have with them. Not only that, it is proven that the more you read with your kids, the better they do in school. I have always read to my children, and now that my son is 6 and is reading quite well, we all pile up in the bed and he reads a story to us. It has become my favorite part of the day! Also, our daughter, who is 3, will pick out a book during the day when she and her brother are playing, and she will give it to her big brother to read to her. It is adorable to see this. This has been great for our daughter because she has started to look at the pictures and tell us the story. So, I say read, read, read!

You should read to your children at least 20 minutes every day, and bedtime is a great time. It helps them relax and get some quality time with mom or dad. Reading to your child helps foster a love of reading, helps them understand language, improves their imaginations, etc. Basically, there is only good that comes from reading. So yes, you should start reading her bedtime stories now.

YES I read to both of mine, my daughter is 5 and my son is 3.5 months. We have always read to them and my daugher is now starting to read to us at night. It is a great way to stay conncected!

S.

it doesn't have to be at bedtime but reading every day to your kids is a wonderful habit and will put them so far ahead at school (when they get there!). We do bedtime always and during the day 3-4 times per week. I've read to both of mine since they were born and started at bedtime when they were about a year. It teaches so much, but for them its about loving the stories and the pictures and the snuggle time. doing it at bedtime is a wonderful routine to get into - if you're not doing a story or a backrub or something else because you don't want routine to get too long. the beauty of books at bedtime is that books don't get "forgotten" in the busyness of life (particularly as they get older and into sports and school) and it is a routine that will last until they die! My parents read to me every night until 4th grade or so. I was allowed to "stay up" a little later if I read at bedtime after that - so of course I did. And, I still read at least 10 minutes every night before I go to sleep.

I read all day long to my kids they have over 200 books, but I have never done it at bed time, I love to read and most of my kids do to. It doesn't have to be at bed time it could be before a nap or when just sitting around playing, at this age it is more about the pictures so when they are that small I don't worry about the words on the paper but discuss the pictures in the book. Big bold colorful pictures or books with real life images are also real good at this age.

Yes read to her at bedtime or tell a story. To many children are growing up not knowing how to read or even care about stories. She might get stuck on one that you will have memorized by the time she has had enough, but my kids talk about their favorite stories to this day. How many times did we read Beauty and the Beast? More then anyone can count. I would keep them short at first but my kids listened to chapter books by five and I have 5 strong readers out of 6 kids. They all have their own taste in books. I have one that enjoys history non-fiction. YOu open a door to the love of books and the world of imagination when you read to your child. Go for it.
C. B

Definitely. We have "always" done it for our 4yo and he now reads to us. We don't do the 21 mo. old seperately, but he always wakes up for story time. The snuggles and all the fun are so worth it. It's only a plus that it helps them later in school.

Hi J., I am actually an Elementary Teacher with an emphasis in Reading K-8. I don't want to sound technical nor like I am an expert by any means but I wanted to let you know some of the things I learned during my college courses. Reading to children at an early age is one of the best things you can do for you child. Doing it every day not only will increase the bonding time you have with them but it will give them a tremendous head start when they get to school. I teach 2nd grade and I can definitely see the differences of children who have support at home and have parents that read to/with them and those who don't. Even though your daughter is only 15 months old, reading at such an early age will increase her phonemic awareness (the awareness of sounds and letters and that letters on pages actually say something) which is crucial to her overall reading abilities. It's never too early to start reading. I hope this is not too much but I think you wanting to read to her is so great and I highly recommend it! Bedtime is a great time because you can establish that routine every night.

HI J.,

I started reading to my son when he was hardly 3 months old. I discoverd that the sound of my voice soothed him. At first I just read whatever magazine or book I was reading at the time to him. When he got to where he could sit up better and interact more I read books on his level. It has been a part of our bedtime routine ever since!! Both my kids look forard to story time and it helps settle them down. (except when Dad reads to them. ha!) It's also a great incentive for them to cooperate getting ready for bed. If they don't listen and brush teeth and put on PJs when asked to all we have to say "Well I guess you don't want to read stories tonight.) They pick up the pace almost instantly! Kids love books! It's never to young to start reading to them!

I think its a great idea, we read from early on to our first them somehow let it slip and quit when our second was born. I wish we had kept up the habit I think its really good for them, and good bonding :)
S.

I have read to both my kids from the day they were born. Almost! We have made it a bedtime routine, partly because I love kids books and I love reading, but also because it is good wind-down time, and promotes literacy. SO! You can read to her any time, not just bedtime, and if you want a good book to start out with at bedtime, I would try Goodnight Moon. You probably have it already. It is simple, short, and about going to sleep. My son is 20 months old, and we have been reading this one every night for about six months now...he loves it...if you don't have your own copy, I could probably send you mine, as I have the entire thing committed to memory!!!! Hahaha. Anyway...
Both my kids also have books with them in bed that they look at while they are are going to sleep. I would suggest getting a nice collection of board books for your daughter--my son is pretty hard on ours, but he has yet to destroy any of them--and get a little shelf where she can get them out herself. My son will go to the bookshelf and pull out books and "read" for a half an hour, all by himself! And my daughter will sometimes "read" to my son (she has so many books memorized now that she actually seems to be reading). It's great!

It doesn't have to be at bedtime. My son hates books, even at bedtime. I try to read when he's in the tub or eating a meal. He usually hates bedtime too, so if I pull out a book right then I would have to pin him down just to read. I don't think that really encourages the reading habit.

Mostly I read books in front of my child. When I read more, he looks at books more. Sibling jealousy also helps. If I get a book for his brother, he wants to take it away.

My daughter never lets me read to her unless its on her terms and she is now going on 2 and thats what she enjoys most when going to bed now.Then I have a niece who will let her read all day long to her.I never seen a child who gets mad when there is something wrong with a book or read a book wrong.I would recommend highly on reading with a child when ever the chance is.

It is all about the child. My daughter was not interested in me reading as much just loved to sit on my lap and look at picutures and name the things in the book. My son however LOVED being read to at the year mark and still LOVES to. It is a huge ordeal at night as they get three books and it can be a good bargaining tool as if they goof off getting ready for bed then they lose a book with each incident of piddling. It is amazing how quickly they get ready for bed! :)
It isn't a silly question at all. My kids had favorites, like Good Night Moon that was their comfort and we read it a million times, they both had like three or four favorites at the 15 mos mark that we had to read all the time. It is a great way to get them interested in books! A great series of books is How do Dinosaurs..Eat their food,go to bed, play with friends, go to school, get well soon, count to ten...there is a huge series of these short and funny books. My kids LOVE them. They are by a author with the last name Yolen. They are really cute books and we have read them a million times...plus they learn about dinosaurs in the process!