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Sit back and relaxCuddling up together to read a story brings a surprising rangeof benefits for children and parents, as Suzanne Zeedyk explainsEmotionalbenefitsEffects on yourchild's brainand bodyEvery time your child enjoys timereading with you, importantneural pathways in their brainare being strengthened.If story time is part of a predictableevening routine, this will be goodfor the development ofthe'amygdala, which is a part ofthe brain that processes emotions.When your child cuddles up toyou, their body produces ahormone called oxytocin(sometimes called the ‘cuddlechemical’). This brings a feelingof contentment and security, areduction in the heart rate and asense of calmness and relaxation.This is an opportunity to shareexperiences and have fun together.You can link events in the story withyour child’s feelings, and explorenew emotions by talking about theexperiences of the characters.Your child will be anticipating yourattention. If they point to a picture ofa dog in a story, and say “Dog!”,they may turn to look at you andexpect a positive response. If you say“Well done!” or “Yes, that’s a dog,”you help reinforce their confidence,and emphasise a sharedunderstanding between you.If you aren’t a very confident readeryourself, don’t worry. Make up somestories about the pictures. The mostimportant thing for children is thatthey are having an enjoyable timewith you.Dr Suzanne Zeedykis senior lecturer indevelopmentalpsychology at theUniversity of DundeeLearning anddevelopmentYou and your child are giving jointattention to the story in bothpictures and ideas. This is an idealsetting for learning new wordsand concepts. You can also relatewhat you read to things your childhas recently experienced.Bedtime stories help to establish anunderstanding of boundaries. Youcan do this by telling your child howmany stories you’re going to readand then saying before the last one,“Okay, we will read one more storyand then we’ll say goodnight.”Bookbug 7