Regular story time can help improve your child’s social and academic development

You get to re-read your childhood classics too

The very hungry caterpillar and Winnie the Pooh are getting trampled in the best bedtime story stakes by The Gruffalo at the moment. Thanks to the popular BBC animation that had children and adults alike enjoying James Corden voice Mouse, Helena Bonham-Carter voice Mother squirrel and Rob Brydon play Snake – it reminded many how difficult it is to not love being read to, no matter how old you are.

So it is surprising that only 53 per cent of 0 – 4-year-olds are read to by their parents. This decreases to 37 per cent of 5 – 8-year-olds and just 21 per cent of 9 – 12-year-olds (Reading for Change, 2002). It might seem obvious but reading to your child on a daily basis can give their development a head start in almost all areas of learning, as well as instil in them a life-long love of books.

According to research, children who are read to regularly score higher in maths, reading, writing, spelling and languages once they start school and have improved academic records in most subjects.

For very young children, letting them turn the pages while you read helps hone their motor skills and, as you’d expect, the stories teach them about the world and how to interact with it. As a result, books for infants that stimulate their minds and fill up their senses with colours, shapes, images and textures, are the best early learning tools you can give them.

All these factors combine to ease a child’s emotional and social development too. Sharing a bedtime story with your child reinforces that reading is not a chore, but a pleasure, because it’s time they get to spend sharing something with you.