Do You Need a New Bedtime Story?

I understand that repetition is a part of learning and children are the masters of repetition.

(Mommy, Mommy, Are we there yet? Mommy? Are we there yet? Are we there yet, Mommy?)


Here is an excerpt from an article I read earlier this week on www.kindermusik.com

Three interesting facts about repetition and child development:

1. Learning requires electrical energy to create neural pathways. The less “automatic” something is, the more electrical energy is required. Think of something you do automatically – like count by 10′s. It takes very little electrical energy for your brain to travel that “counting 10′s” neural pathway, because you’ve done it a lot.

The more well-traveled a pathway, the less energy is required. That’s why you can do two things at once. Watch TV and knit, for example. When you are first learning to knit, it takes all of your effort. Looking, counting stitches, watching your needles. As it becomes automatic, you use less brain energy, so you can layer another activity on top of that without fear of accidentally turning those mittens into a hat instead.

Neurons Communicating

2. Did you ever wonder why children expect a favorite activity to be repeated again and again and again? Repetition is a necessary building block of development. Children’s brains KNOW that they need repetition. They are pretty smart little creatures! Do you remember the show Blue’s Clues? (Never the same for me after Steve left…). The creators did research while developing the show as to what preschoolers wanted to see in the show, and you can probably guess the answer by now – repetition!

3. So what about the fact that we always have a hello and goodbye ritual, a bounce, a steady beat, rocking time, and story time (in the older classes)? As my friend Heather Wiebe says (she a Kindermusik teacher in Alberta who is fascinated about the way the brain works, just like me) “Patterns make children happy. Knowing what to expect and having things happen in that way not only helps children know what to expect and feel at ease, it’s also how they mark time.” When the environment and routine is predictable, then a child feels safe and learning can naturally happen.

Read the full article Here. 

While this does provide an explanation as to why repetition is important it provides little comfort when your little one is asking you to read the Goldilocks and the Three Bears for the gazillionth time or the cute little song they are listening to over and over again is starting to sound a little creepy like the playground screen in The Birds.

If you have read all the books in your house for bedtime stories (when I was taking classes for my undergraduate degree I did read textbooks to my children for bedtime stories: two birds, one stone), it may be time to introduce some fresh characters.

I recently ran across a really cute and endearing series called Terry Treetop.

Pictured is the book Terry Treetop Finds New Friends.

I read this book with my children and it provided a great conversation starter to talk with both my six year old and my nine year old about what makes a good friend and helping people in need.

The book is well written and the meter of the book makes it an easy and enjoyable bedtime read. Tali Carmi uses literary devices such as repetition as well as alliteration making this a great practice primer for the six year old's reading skill.

I look forward to Terry's other adventures and sharing them with my children and reading them a couple hundred times.


Disclaimer:
I may have received any products mentioned in this post for free or at a discount in exchange for an honest and fair review.