We all know that it’s good to read to your children when they are little. It is good for their minds and helps them learn to become good readers. It also helps to settle them down to fall asleep at night. But what happens at bedtime when they get to the age where they, or we, think they are too old to be read to anymore? At what age does this occur? Usually around eleven or twelve.
Suddenly children are left to fall asleep without the routine and left with their own thoughts. Many children and adults have trouble falling asleep at night this way. Parents hate for their children to fall asleep watching Tv, but how many adults do this? Using educational DVDs or shows could be permissible.
It really isn’t fair to children to just take the reading away and leave them with nothing. Often parents don’t realize that the children are having problems falling asleep until months or years down the road after they have quit reading to them.
What is a good solution? You could set up a device that will play audiobooks or soothing music for them. Many children have their own phones and audiobooks can be downloaded for them.
If you could persuade your child to read, they could read until they fall asleep. It is important though, for adults and children, to avoid these things two hours before bedtime:
Strenuous activity
Active movies
Active music
Additionally, before you stop the reading routine, be sure to discuss this with your child. If they no longer want you sitting on their bed reading to them you could read to them outside of the bedroom. Often children like you to tell them stories of when you were little or to tell them stories of other relatives. It is important to calm them and make them feel safe before they fall asleep.