The bedtime story is a long-standing tradition of childhood. As lives have gotten busy over the years, and evenings are filled with sports, other hobbies, and homework, the urge to say there’s no time for a story tonight can be strong.
As a parent, we often feel like our day starts after the kids are in bed, so the motivation to make that happen sooner rather than later can be strong.
The one thing you should resist cutting out of your evening routine in the interest of time is the bedtime story.
Even if you only have 10 or 15 minutes, telling your child a story every day will have a great positive impact on her development in several ways.
Storytelling Makes Your Child a Good Listener
Even as adults, most of us could use some improvement in our listening skills. Distractions abound in the world today, and many people just never learn good listening skills.
Walk into any grade school classroom and you’ll witness that kids have a strong preference for talking over listening, and are easily distracted even when you do get their attention.
Children are naturally attracted to stories, so you won't find yourself fighting for their attention when it's story time.
Telling stories to your child will give him the gift of being a good listener, something that will serve him well in school and in developing friendships.
Telling stories to your child will give him the gift of being a good listener, something that will serve him well in school and in developing friendships.
Storytelling is a Great Way to Learn
We all know rote learning is boring, but it’s often what our children get in school.
Storytelling teaches the same things, but in a way that is much more interesting for your child, which means she has a far better chance of retaining information than when it’s learned through straight memorization.
Storytelling teaches the same things, but in a way that is much more interesting for your child, which means she has a far better chance of retaining information than when it’s learned through straight memorization.
We’d all rather hear a story about a baker who divides his last 10 cookies between his two best friends, than work on memorizing 10 divided by 2 equals 5.
Stories are also the best way to instill morals in your child.
She will understand and respond much better to The Ant and the Grasshopper, a fable about an ant who works hard and saves food for the winter and a grasshopper who plays all the time and has no food for the winter, than she will to you telling her it’s important to work hard and plan for the future.
Stories are also the perfect opportunity to introduce other cultures and history to your child in a way that feels more entertaining than instructional
Storytelling Develops Your Child’s Imagination and Emotions
When a child hears a story, she gets to feel the emotions of the characters, which will help her get in touch with and develop her own emotions.
The story itself, as well as your child’s interpretation of it, are also some of the most effective ways of developing her imagination.
A healthy imagination not only makes for a happy child, but will also serve her well in school and as she develops outside interests and hobbies.
While children enjoy picture books, you should also consider stories with little of no pictures. These stories allow your child to completely paint the picture of the story in her mind, without any pre-drawn notion of how characters, creatures, or castles are suppose to look in the story.
Storytelling is Great for Bonding
As parents, most of us wish we had more time to dedicate our undivided attention to our children.
Storytelling is the perfect time to do something your child really enjoys, that is really beneficial to her, and that you can’t be tempted to multitask at.
Having a regular story time will become your child’s favorite time of the day, and she won’t let you forget it.
While story time can be any time of the day, it’s a nice way to end the day.
How we go to bed is important. Putting positive, happy feelings in your child’s mind right before she drifts off to sleep will make for better sleep, and help her wake up feeling happier and ready to tackle the day.
Bedtime storytelling will also provide you a much needed breather in your likely hectic day.
Your Child the Storyteller
Another important aspect of storytelling is having your child be the storyteller, either through reading a book or telling a story (real or imagined) of her own.
Having your child share her stories is the best way to improve her communication skills, which are skills she’ll need no matter what she decides to do with her life.
Your child will gain confidence as her communication skills improve, and will learn how to effectively share her experiences and emotions, which helps her develop meaningful friendships.
Your Kids Party Characters Stories
At KidsPartyCharacters.com, we obviously love a good story. We have over 200 unique characters, some that may come with a story your child is familiar with, and others that allow your child to create the story completely from his own imagination.
In addition to providing a trained actor to portray the character your child chooses to invite as her special party guest, we also have all the extras that make KidsPartyCharacters.com your one-stop shop for party planning.
Visit our website at KidsPartyCharacters.com to find the package that’s just right for your child, whether that’s cotton candy, balloon twisting, face painting, magic shows, or more. We have something for all sizes and budgets.
Also be sure to connect with Kids Party Characters on Facebook, where we share photos, videos, and articles about the magic we create at kids’ parties, as well as tips for raising a healthy and happy family.
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