Why Reading Before Bed Is Important For Young Children
Too Much Screen Time - Why Reading Before Bed Is Important For Young Children
- Children’s sleep expert weighs in on the importance of reading before bed
- Parents are spending almost 4 hours a week on their children’s bedtime routines
- 43 per cent of children spend time on an electronic device as part of their bedtime routine
To celebrate International Nursery Rhyme Week, new research has shed light on the state of British children’s sleep.
A study of 2,000 UK parents, by furniture retailer DFS, has revealed that the average 5-12 year old’s bedtime routine begins just after 7pm (19:06) and lasts 34 minutes – this means that parents are spending almost 4 hours a week on their child’s bedtime routines.
The three most common aspects of these children’s bedtime routines are brushing teeth, quiet time, and reading.
Reading is an important to children’s bedtime routine, with 54 per cent of 0-12 year olds being read to, or reading to themselves, before they go to sleep.
To encourage reading as part of the bedtime routine, furniture retailer DFS, has created the Reading Personality finder. The tool asks parents a series of questions about their child, to identify what type of reader they are and what they might enjoy reading about.
Featuring insights from children’s sleep expert Lucy Shrimpton, AKA the Sleep Nanny, this tool then generates a series of book recommendations to help parents find a book that will suit their little one.
DFS hopes that this helpful tool inspires more families to read at night, as it emerged that 24 per cent of children watch TV and 19 per cent use other electronic devices as part of their bedtime routine.
Commenting on the value of reading to children’s bedtime routine, Lucy Shrimpton explains: “Story time is a great way to end the bedtime routine. As part of this, it is important for toddlers and children to learn boundaries, such as one book only or after a set amount of time reading, it is time for them to close their eyes and sleep.”
“A concerning number of children in this research report watch TV and use electronic devices as part of their bedtime routine. These are highly destructive to the child’s quality of sleep and their future of healthy sleep later in adulthood.”
Rachel Nimz Taylor at DFS comments: “Our research shows us that bedtime can be challenging and time consuming for parents. We wanted to create a tool that would encourage children to read books that will keep them engaged and interested, which we know is a positive step in a child’s bedtime routine, as well as bond with their parents.
“Creating the right environment is also crucial for good sleep, and the bed a child sleeps in is an important aspect of this. Making sure your child’s bed is the right size and style will help to ensure they are, and feel, safe and comfortable at night. Whether you’re looking to properly support your little one throughout the night, limit any impact from fidgeting, or just want to discourage them from jumping on the bed, we’d recommend a medium-firm mattress.”
