Back to school bedtime stories with Next Divan

  • Annace Baynes
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Help your little ones to drift into a peaceful night's sleep with our ultimate guide to magical bedtime stories.

With back to school just around the corner, it is crucial to introduce a sleep regime into your child's daily routine, to help them become well-rested and ready to learn.

Why is a sleep routine essential for children?

Having a sleep routine is essential for everyone, but is especially crucial to children's health and development. Studies have proven that children who have enough sleep as part of their sleep routine, do better in their educational studies and overall development. When children do not experience enough sleep, they begin to experience sleep-like brain patterns during the day, which causes them to have delayed reactions, become more easily distracted, and be more prone to making careless errors in their school work. 

Children who have a sleep routine, sleep entirely through the night and also feel a stronger sense of security which eases them into falling asleep on their own without any worries. Introducing them into a bedtime preparation routine also gives them an incentive to follow that same routine through life, and promotes organisation. For example, teaching your children to have self-care time before bed, allows them to better their knowledge on looking after themselves, such as taking a bath or shower before bed, brushing their teeth, washing their hands, brushing their hair, and getting their school things ready for the next day is a routine they can take with them through to adulthood. 

Bedtime Stories for a dreamy night’s sleep

An interesting and engaging bedtime story is an essential finishing touch for your childs bedtime routine. In fact a National Institute of Child Health study proved that children who are read to have improved logic skills and lower stress levels than children who do not get a bedtime story. 

A new and upcoming best-seller in the world of children’s books for 2021, is ‘The Whale Who Wanted More’ a book following Humphrey the Whale, a gentle giant who roams the ocean on a quest to find that one perfect object to make him feel complete. This 5 star loved book encourages sharing and kindness for little listeners in a heartwarming story of an oceanic tale of the value of friendship. 

A classic favourite amongst parents, is, of course, The Gruffalo. If you haven’t already introduced these books into your children's bedtime story collection, then it is a must that you look to find them! Not only are they a well-loved community favourite, but they also have a heartwarming story with encouraging morals. The Gruffalo is the tale of a little mouse and a great big monster that stole the hearts of a whole generation of readers. The story is set in the deep dark woods, where our friend, the little brown mouse, is on a journey to not get eaten by some enemies he makes along the way by warning them off with a make-believe story of a monster that turns out to be true! This book's message to children is that a little bravery and inventiveness can help you overcome some pretty challenging obstacles in life!

For older readers, the Wonder books are amazing for children aged 9-14! This series of books follows the story of a little boy named Auggie, who is like every normal 10-year-old kid on the inside, but is very different on the outside due to his serious facial deformities. This wonderful series of books was made into a movie in 2012 which was outstandingly popular, and a tear-jerker! The Wonder books promote kindness, and it helps children realise that a small and simple act of kindness can make a big difference in somebody's life, it teaches children that we always have the ability to choose to be kind which is especially important for children of this age range who may be venturing into high school, to help promote kindness and understanding amongst new and diverse people.