Misplaced Pages

This article needs attention from an expert in sociology or anthropology. The specific problem is: the article discusses bedtime stories only in the context of contemporary Western culture. See the talk page for details. WikiProject Sociology or WikiProject Anthropology may be able to help recruit an expert. (January 2018)

A bedtime story is a traditional form of storytelling, where a story is told to a child at bedtime to prepare the child for sleep. The bedtime story has long been considered "a definite institution in many families".

History

The term "bedtime story" was coined by Louise Chandler Moulton in her 1873 book, Bed-time Stories. The "ritual of an adult reading out loud to a child at bedtime formed mainly in the second half of the nineteenth century and achieved prominence in the early twentieth century in tandem with the rising belief that soothing rituals were necessary for children at the end of the day. The practice of reading bedtime stories contributed to the growth of the picture book industry, and may also have contributed to the practice of isolated sleeping for children.

Western culture

Within the Western culture, many parents read bedtime stories to their kids to assist with falling asleep. Among other benefits, this ritual is considered to reinforce the parent-child relationship. The type of stories and the time at which they are read may differ on cultural basis.

Western bedtime stories are full of the traditional value and stories from the predominant sub-cultures. Mentioning of cowboys and hippie lifestyle is a prominent form of verbal storytelling.

Bedtime stories may be used to teaching the child abstract virtues such as sympathy, altruism, and self-control, and empathy by helping children to imagine the feelings of others. The stories can be used to discuss darker subjects such as death and racism.

Europe

A vast number of bedtime stories, now famous around the world, originated in Europe. The European culture of bedtime stories is inspired in part by Aesop's fables and Greek fables.

Aesop's fables

The Aesop's fables are a collection of fables that were written by a Greek storyteller named Aesop, who derived them from oral traditions of the Greek people. The fables were collected and compiled after his death, and have been translated into many modern languages. These fables include different animal characters, providing a moral lesson or a great piece of wisdom for the young minds to understand. The many fables include,

• The Ant and the Grasshopper
• The Boy Who Cried Wolf
• The Cock, the Dog and the Fox
• The Dog and Its Reflection

These fables may be used to teach children ethical and moral values. These fables may be read as bedtime stories.

Scientific research

The fixed routine of a bedtime story before sleeping can improve the child's brain development, language acquisition, and problem solving skills. The storyteller-listener relationship creates an emotional bond between the parent and the child. Due to "the strength of the imitative instinct" of a child, the parent and the stories that they tell act as a model for the child to follow. Being read bedtime stories increases children's vocabularies.

References

1. ^ Dickson, Marguerite Stockman (1919). Vocational Guidance for Girls. p. 90–93.
2. Bernstein, Robin (2020). ""'You Do It!': Going-to-Bed Books and the Scripts of Children's Literature"". PMLA. 135 (5): 878—880.
3. ^ Jones, Patti (2011). "The Brainy Benefits of Bedtime Stories". Parents Magazine.
4. Matilda, Satire (21 March 2019). "The real morals behind Aesop's fables". The Daily Star. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
5. Montag, Jessica L.; Jones, Michael N.; Smith, Linda B. (2015-09-01). "The Words Children Hear: Picture Books and the Statistics for Language Learning". Psychological Science. 26 (9): 1489–1496. doi:10.1177/0956797615594361. ISSN 0956-7976. PMC 4567506. PMID 26243292.

External links

• children's literature

• Folklore
• Performing arts
• Sleep
• Children's literature
• Childhood
• Culture of beds