Parent-approved bedtime stories that are educational and inspiring

Bedtime stories are a wonderful tradition to keep in your family. They bring magic and whimsy at night time, and help parents and children create a healthy evening routine. There have been numerous studies to suggest that reading to kids before bed can boost their academic achievement. But more importantly, bedtime stories reinforce good sleep habits and send your little ones off into a peaceful slumber.

A lot of parents also love the educational aspect of bedtime reading. Children are exposed to 50% more words from books than they would from watching TV. This makes it the perfect way to enhance their vocabulary in a fun, nurturing way. To get started on your bookworm adventure, here are some educational bedtime reads that have been approved by parents.

Llama Llama Red Pajama (by Anna Dewdney)

The reason why Anna Dewdney’s book provides educational value is that is extremely relatable, for kids as well as their parents. It’s about a baby llama who gets sad and cranky at bedtime because his mama is downstairs and he can’t sleep without her. The moral of the story is that everything will be ok, teaching young children both independence and patience. Mama llama is always close by, even if she isn’t in the room.

As well as providing a humorous storyline that helps kids sleep, the book has great use of vocabulary and rhyming words too. This can improve speech and language development, with an easy introduction to the world of creative poetry.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle)

This popular bedtime book for toddlers provides simple learning for words and colours. It’s a describing book with beautiful illustrations, helping 2-5 year olds create language and picture associations. It’s also fun and interactive, and can be enhanced with animal noises or even song.

A timeless classic, this book has received outstanding reviews on platforms such as Booktrust.org and other similar sites.

Oh, the Places You’ll Go! (by Dr. Seuss)

Touching on multiple topics, this Dr. Seuss book is a whirlwind adventure, suitable for little bookworms who love a longer bedtime read. This versatile story can be read to young school children, but will also appeal to much older kids and even young adults.

The main themes include travel, exploration, bravery, dealing with failure and success, independence, and decision-making. There’s a lot of opportunity to have interesting discussions about the main character and his experiences – getting kids thinking in an intelligent and abstract way.

Splat the Cat (by Rob Scotton)

Full of humour and tender moments, this book creates a likeable hero that most children can relate to. The main character, Splat the Cat, helps readers ease their fears about starting school and promotes a healthy relationship between kids and authority figures in the classroom.

It’s also been listed as a great night time book on Parents.com. If you want to highlight the importance of learning and get your kids excited about beginning their school journey, this is a fantastic story to share with them.

Room on the Broom (by Julia Donaldson)

The Gruffalo writer, Julia Donaldson, is always a huge hit with parents because her stories inspire imagination. Room on the Broom is a tale of adventure, friendship, new encounters, diversity of characters, and acceptance. In a world where race, religion and political factors divide us, this story inspires tolerance and togetherness in young children.

While the reading age is around 6+, it has an interest age of around 3+ years. Top educational benefits are rhythmical text, vocabulary-building and plenty of creativity. This book has been translated into 22 different languages and has picked up numerous book awards.

It’s definitely a must-have to add to your child’s bedtime routine if you want to promote healthy sleep and learning.

Create a relaxing sleep environment with the Ely Mattress

As well as building a regular routine with bedtime stories, it’s also important to create a relaxing sleep environment. This starts with a clean, tidy space and having the right children’s mattress. The Ely Mattress is made from natural, non-toxic and hypoallergenic materials for the perfect night’s sleep for little ones. All materials used are also biodegradable, keeping your family healthy while being kind to the planet.