Why reading to your kids at bedtime is so important

Reading aloud helps with children's development of language skills and stimulates their auditory memory. — AFP

Most of us have fond memories of our parents reading us bedtime stories. A favourite among young children, this evening ritual tends to fall victim to parents' lack of time or even lack of self-confidence.

At least, that's what a survey carried out by the Ladybird publishing house on 1,013 British parents of children aged zero to five, reported on by The Bookseller claims. Three quarters of respondents would like to have more time to read a bedtime story to their toddlers. A similar proportion of parents favour children's traditional bedtime hours, between 6pm and 8pm, for undertaking this activity and feel that other times of day are not appropriate.