{"id":1548,"date":"2024-02-10T01:40:20","date_gmt":"2024-02-10T01:40:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/penguincrossingacademy.com\/?p=1548"},"modified":"2024-01-14T01:45:09","modified_gmt":"2024-01-14T01:45:09","slug":"how-important-is-story-time-in-the-evening","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/penguincrossingacademy.com\/how-important-is-story-time-in-the-evening\/","title":{"rendered":"How Important is Story Time in the Evening?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Parents and teachers intuitively know that children benefit from being read to, but how important actually <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> story time?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2021\/10\/01\/1041859001\/reading-aloud-benefits-childrens-literacy\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">science<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> has proven that reading to children benefits them immediately and in the future! Children who are read to have:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Better language skills &#8211; Quality literature improves language understanding, grammar, and sentence structure<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Increased vocabulary &#8211; Quality literature exposes children to a wide vocabulary and better understanding of words<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Improved literacy &#8211; <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/2158244016672715\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Research shows<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> a strong connection between reading aloud to children and advanced literacy skills.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Emotional bonding with parents &#8211; positive connections are made between a parent and the child during read-aloud<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are a few suggestions for finding time slots for reading to your child. Be sure to read to the end to learn the best time of day to read to your child!<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Early Morning Reading<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Every child is different. Some are bouncing off the walls as soon as they wake up, while others are sleepy and want to cuddle. If your child is an early-morning cuddler, then this is an excellent time to read with your child!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1534 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/penguincrossingacademy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/pexels-amber-faust-2992878-300x270.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"270\" srcset=\"https:\/\/penguincrossingacademy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/pexels-amber-faust-2992878-300x270.jpg 300w, https:\/\/penguincrossingacademy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/pexels-amber-faust-2992878-1024x920.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/penguincrossingacademy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/pexels-amber-faust-2992878-768x690.jpg 768w, https:\/\/penguincrossingacademy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/pexels-amber-faust-2992878-1536x1380.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/penguincrossingacademy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/pexels-amber-faust-2992878-2048x1841.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What a sweet rhythm to have with your child first thing in the morning. Cozy up with a blanket, some books, and something to drink or eat. This will quickly become one of your favorite parts of the day and cherished memories.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even if your child is like an unleashed tiger in the early morning, you can still have early morning reading. It can even be an excellent way to teach your child self-regulation. Children want to engage with you, and while you might not be ready to wrestle at 6 A.M., they may be willing to snuggle up with a good book.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mid-Morning Reading<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By mid-morning, babies are ready for their first nap of the day and young children have burned through their energy from breakfast. For babies, taking just a few minutes to read to them before naptime is a signal to them that it\u2019s time to sleep. You can even read to them while they drink their bottle!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Young children may have burned through their breakfast energy and are poking around for something to do or eat. Children need to engage with their parents frequently and often turn to their parents to help them regulate their emotions. This might take the form of mischief or whining, so it can be easy to turn to technology or snacks to get over the mid-morning hump.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, remember that children want to engage with <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">you<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, not technology. Taking a few minutes to read will give them the emotional regulation their bodies are craving, and you may be surprised that they aren\u2019t as needy for technology or snacks as you previously thought. Often after reading, children are regulated and ready to choose their next activity with cheerfulness and independence.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before Nap Time<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Babies, toddlers, and young children should have regular naps. Often, children of these ages will take a nap in the early afternoon. This is another perfect time to sneak in some reading!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As your child starts to slow down, choose quieter activities, or zone out, initiate some reading time. Take the child to a cozy spot such as their bed or a rocking chair, and read one to three books. This further relaxes your child, gives them a visual timeline of when it\u2019s time to nap (\u201cThis is our last book!\u201d), and helps them fall asleep faster.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After Nap Time<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some kids struggle to wake up from a nap. They can be grouchy, sleepy, or whiney. But cuddling and reading a book while eating a snack is sure to chase away the nap-time blues! <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1351 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/penguincrossingacademy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/60570c2a-9f96-445e-bee3-5167f8c85573-200x300.png\" alt=\"mother, woman, people, hug, supportive\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/penguincrossingacademy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/60570c2a-9f96-445e-bee3-5167f8c85573-200x300.png 200w, https:\/\/penguincrossingacademy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/60570c2a-9f96-445e-bee3-5167f8c85573.png 427w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Similar to early morning reading, cuddling with your child and reading a book helps ease them into wakefulness again. A healthy snack or drink also helps gently raise blood sugar and mood so they are cheerful after reading together.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before Bed\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Science is now showing that reading before bed is the best time to read with your child. In <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1177\/0009922815593907\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">one study<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, reading at bedtime significantly improved total nighttime sleep duration. If there\u2019s one thing parents want, it\u2019s for their kids to sleep deeper and longer!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1348 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/penguincrossingacademy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/e4da0125-7181-477b-be38-9c5f25343651-300x200.png\" alt=\"motherhood, childhood, mother and child, read books\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/penguincrossingacademy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/e4da0125-7181-477b-be38-9c5f25343651-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/penguincrossingacademy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/e4da0125-7181-477b-be38-9c5f25343651.png 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With sleepiness to keep them relaxed and fighting sleepiness to keep them alert and engaged, reading at bedtime gives you the best bang for your buck. Reading with your child before bed helps establish a stable routine, promotes bonding, and gets them into a sleepy state of mind to fall asleep\u2013and stay asleep!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Parents and teachers intuitively know that children benefit from being read to, but how important actually is story time? The science has proven that reading to children benefits them immediately and in the future! Children who are read to have: Better language skills &#8211; Quality literature improves language understanding, grammar, and sentence structure Increased vocabulary [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[126],"tags":[8,193,205,209],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How Important is Story Time in the Evening? - Penguin Crossing Academy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/penguincrossingacademy.com\/how-important-is-story-time-in-the-evening\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Important is Story Time in the Evening? - Penguin Crossing Academy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Parents and teachers intuitively know that children benefit from being read to, but how important actually is story time? 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