If there’s one thing I could recommend for a child’s bed-time routine is to read books. That may seem overly simple, so let me start with identifying a few things to avoid at bed-time.
First off, screens. . . You know those flat, rectangular things that light up and play movies or games or allow us to get lost surfing the internet or scrolling through social media. Yeah, those screens! 😉 In order to have a sleep supportive bed-time routine, it’s important–even crucial–to turn off and put away our digital screens. What health professionals recommend is turning screens off an hour before going to sleep at night. One of the main for this is that the blue light used to light up our digital devices interferes with our brain preparing for sleep in the evening (Harvard-Blue Light).
Another thing to avoid at night-time is keeping wi-fi and cellular devices next to our children as they sleep. Testing and research indicate that the radiation emitted by cellular and wireless devices can be harmful to the body over time (Environmental Health Trust). Therefore, it’s a good safety precaution to keep any screens or wireless devices away from the area where children sleep or power down these devices at night-time.
So what is helpful to do as we help our children prepare for and get a good night’s sleep? There’s the usual getting on pajamas, maybe a bed-time snack (I’m still trying to get my children to eat more at dinner time so we don’t have to do this snack thing!), brushing teeth, and perhaps evening rituals in preparing for sleep. But what do we do when children are still wanting to play or claim they aren’t tired (my kids do this all the time!)? And what about summer-time when it stays light outside well past 8pm?
Books. Reading books.
Children may not be excited about reading books at first, but with some practice, they will come around.
When it comes to books, I love taking advantage of our public library! At the library, my children can handpick books that are interesting to them. In fact, I have to put a limit on the number of books we check out at a given time because they are so excited with all the fun books they find. When my kiddos aren’t wanting to come inside and get ready for bed, I let them know our book reading time is in jeopardy! My wife and I also require our kids to brush their teeth and be ready for bed before we read to them. We like to do a little contest where the child ready for bed first gets to choose the first book. More often than not, they eagerly step into action in order to not miss reading time.
So what can reading books as a part of a bed-time routine really do for a child? Instead of children decreasing their quality of sleep by being on a screen right before bed, children can prepare for sleep, develop a love of reading, and learn healthy bed-time habits through a reading time routine. My wife and I have found that reading time doesn’t have to be long. In fact, just 10 to 20 minutes each night is sufficient for a great reading experience!
Reading in the evening will replace unhealthy screen-time and, simultaneously, helps support so many other healthy habits in our children’s lives. This is why I truly believe reading to our children as part of a bed-time routine is so, so helpful! It’s a practice that is both an offensive and defensive routine. Reading is awesome!
Harvard Health Letter: Blue Light
Environmental Health Trust: About
Environmental Health Trust: Research
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