Bedtime Story Reading Guide

This entry was posted on January 13, 2016 by Richard Warriner.

This is a simple 10-step guide to the ultimate bedtime story including details of some of our in-built interaction features

  1. For the Mums and Dads It’s worth making the time for a bedtime story. Some 83% of young children enjoy being read to with recent evidence showing that children who enjoy books are 13 times more likely to have an above average reading age.
  2. Bonding time Children love it – particularly bedtime stories which are considered a special bonding time.
  3. Interaction is key
    • First off – your child interacting (aka interrupting) is not a distraction – it’s part of the fun!
    • Find the Shadow King – we’ve put an image of the Shadow King on each two-page spread. Some are quite easy to find and some are really difficult. Have a try with your child.
    • Repeated paragraph – there is a deliberate repeated paragraph that Teddy says in each character section. Your child will get used to this quickly and soon be able to say it out loud with you as you read.
  4. Ask questions What letter comes next?Where is the Shadow King?Do you think we can get your name back tonight?

    Questions about the characters and what happens next?

  5. Voice / expression Try use a different tone for the different characters (children love this). Say some parts quicker to build tension, and some parts slower, particularly towards the end of the story.
  6. Illustrations For young children it’s hard to beat a quality picture book. Each character set is full of interesting illustrations. Look out for what Teddy is doing – he really gets into the spirit of the challenges. For the very young children you can use the illustrations to make up your own story.
  7. Enjoy it Parents are sooo busy. Enjoy your 10 minutes with your little one. These shared reading times are truly magical for them.
  8. Story length Obviously it depends on your own child, but typically 10 minutes is considered about the right time for a bedtime story.
  9. Strong moral themes It’s all about doing the right thing and how this ultimately leads to success. Each character sets a challenge that will test a different trait giving you the opportunity to reinforce any key messages.
  10. Get comfortable We love stories in bed but comfy chairs work really well too. We also like slightly dimmed lighting to help set the scene.

Download your own copy of the Reading Guide here

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