Beyond Bedtime

Whether it’s a book you’re reading for the first time or the 101st time, there’s nothing like the ritual of curling up with your child for a bedtime story. But even if the bulk of your reading is limited to bedtime, don’t lose sight of some of the many roles that good books can play in children’s lives – whatever the time of day and whatever their ages:

Literacy – First and foremost, sharing books is crucial to help kids grow to be fully literate adults. Kindergarten students who are read to at least three times a week are almost twice as likely to score in the top 25 percent in reading as children who are read to less than three times a week, according to a study by the National Center for Education Statistics. What’s more, of the children who are read to three or more times a week:

• 26 percent recognize all the letters of the alphabet compared to 14 percent of kids read to less frequently;

• 60 percent are able to count to 20, compared to 44 percent of those read to less frequently;

• 79 percent are able to read or pretend to read, compared to 68 percent of those not read to as much; and

• 54 percent are able to write their own names, versus 49 percent.