Last Updated on
Being stressed and overwhelmed is sadly becoming the norm for many children. Our 24/7 must-be-connected culture is taking a toll on them. Then add school pressures like getting good grades and extracurricular activity overload. And we can’t forget all of that social pressure to look a certain way, act a certain way, own certain toys and gadgets—which often leads to bullying. Our children are also growing up in a time when we are constantly bombarded by bad news, whether it be school shootings, terrorism, or illness.
Life is filled with stress, and there is no way for our children to avoid it. It is inevitable that they will experience the ups and downs of stress throughout their lives. It’s amazing that one of the best ways to help our kids settle down and de-stress is something that parents have been doing for generations: reading a good book together. According to a study from the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom, reading is the best way to relax–even more so than going for a walk, listening to music, or sipping some warm milk. The study found that just six minutes of reading can be enough to reduce our stress level by more than two thirds. Researchers even observed participants’ heart rate slow down and a reduction in muscle tension.
How Reading Reduces Stress
Why is reading such a powerful way to calm down? Here are some of the main reasons:
Serves as a Healthy Distraction. Reading is a healthy distraction. Psychologists believe that reading helps reduce stress so effectively because our brain has to concentrate on the words on the paper, therefore creating a distraction from the constant chatter in our mind. Books help our kids escape from the present moment into a literary world of imagination that intrigues them and captures all of their focus. The benefit comes from them getting engrossed in the story to escape their worries. Basically, our worries fade away because it is almost impossible to keep ruminating about our problems when we are so focused on the story we are reading.
Creates Flow. When we read, we essentially enter an altered state of consciousness, or what is often referred to as “flow” like when artists get caught up in their projects. This is the sense of being completely engaged in an activity to the point of being in a near-meditative state. When we are in a state of flow, we forgot about all of our thoughts and lose track of time. This can be beneficial to calming our nerves and reducing stress.
Improves Sleep. Reading is a great alternative to electronics at night to help our kids relax before bedtime. All of that blue light from electronics can disturb melatonin levels, which can prevent our kids from getting a good night’s sleep. Poor sleep can trigger anxiety, so it’s critical that children get a good night’s sleep. Learn more tips to help your kids get a good night’s sleep.
Allows Families to Bond. According to Sleep Lady, bedtime stories bring you closer as a family by helping you foster an emotionally rich relationship with your child. Over time, reading together will help initiate meaningful discussions on a variety of subjects. There are also benefits to snuggling during this special reading time. This bonding helps our children to feel safe and secure so they can get to sleep easily.
Types of Books To Read
When it comes to tapping into reading as a relaxation tool, it’s important to choose books for children that are about happy topics, especially if they are reading before they doze off at bedtime. The best books are light and positive, and interesting without being overly exciting. Books that have a whimsical fairytale feel or transport the reader to beautiful and serene locations (e.g., gardens) are also a great option. This will ensure that children have colorful imagery swirling around in their minds as their head hits the pillow. For children who have trouble falling asleep, these images can also be a good jumping off point for working on visualization.
Believe it or not, non-fiction books about benign topics that won’t upset children are also a good way to get calm while reading. When I asked my daughter what type of book makes her the sleepiest, she said non-fiction. One of my therapists suggested that I get a non-fiction book about a bland topic to read at night. I chose a book about how cities work—about traffic lights, subways, pipes, etc.—and boy did that do the trick! My eyelids got very heaving after reading a couple pages of that book. I suggest non-fiction books about nature since it will be both soothing and uneventful at the same time.
I also highly recommend nature poetry books. When we think about and visualize the beauty of nature, it makes us feel calm and a sense of awe. Nature poetry does a wonderful job capturing the beauty of nature. Some of the most famous nature poets include Robert Frost, Alfred Lord Tennyson, William Wordsworth, P.B. Shelly, and John Keats. Consider reading some of their poetry to your children. You can also look for some of these lovely children’s nature poetry books:
- Handsprings by Douglas Florian
- Poetrees by Douglas Florian
- National Geographic Book of Nature Poetry: More than 200 Poems With Photographs That Float, Zoom, and Bloom! by J. Patrick Lewis
Please check out all of the wonderful books that I have reviewed, which cover happiness topics like mindfulness, gratitude, resilience, and kindness.
What To Avoid
In order to keep the mood uplighting, try to avoid the following types of books:
- Scary books, especially about monsters, illness, or death.
- Books that are filled with excitement that will keep the reader awake.
- Books with challenging vocabulary that require a great deal of concentration to understand.
- Books about complex topics that children will keep asking questions about.
- School books because kids really need to have that chance to unwind and connect to the book without worrying about having to discuss it at school.
Learn More
If you want to learn more about how reading can help your kids reduce stress, please check out my interview with Jed Doherty on Jedlie’s Reading With Your Kids Podcast–the #1 iTunes Kids and Family Podcast. It has also been listed on Feedspot.com as one of the “Top 20 Kids Podcasts You Must Subscribe and Listen to in 2019” and their blog posts are listed as one of the Top 100 Children’s Blogs and websites for Parents, Teachers, and Kids. The iHeartRadio Podcast Awards also nominated the show as one of the Best Kids and Family Podcast in January 2019. Jedlie is an award-winning children’s author of “The Great Maritini!!!” & “REAL Magic!!!” and internationally acclaimed educational magician.
LISTEN NOW (and please share!)
What are your family’s favorite relaxing books to read together?
Reading is my favourite part of our bedtime routine with our daughter. I also love to read before bed, so relaxing!
We LOVE reading, and now, reading is an even better way than usual to reduce stress. Thank you for this!
My kids are little and they still really love to read. It’s a great way for us all to spend time together.
I love reading I just finished my 7th book this year so far
I loved reading as a child – getting lost for hours in a book, in another world. Not that I was escaping mine, but just enjoying another.
Great read! I read to my son every night before bed. He’s grown to love reading and it’s definitely brought us that much closer!
This makes sense. I find that reading is a great stress relief for myself. So, it would make sense that it would be for kids also.
My girls love flipping through books and sitting and being read too. It is something we do to unwind after dinner as we get them calm and ready for bed.
Reading has always been a nice distraction for me. However, not all kids like to read, but I think that any kid can learn to love it if you pick the right kind of book and engage in a way that interests them. Great post.
As an avid reader myself, I love this! My daughter is starting kindergarten next year so I’m working really hard with her on phonics. She loves when I read to her and I hope that love continues!
Aa a language arts elementary teacher for 15 years, I love that you’re advocating reading. You share phenomenal positives about how reading can affect children. I however do want to say that the list of what not to read should be used sparingly and based on the actual child/children in question. I grew up reading Stephen King as a child and have several gifted students who read “scary or school based texts” for pleasure. Parents should use their knowledge of their child as well as their beliefs to guide reading content.
Great point, thank you for your input.
Our kids are still in the getting read to stage, but this is a great reminder of how important it is to read to them at bedtime (and also for a bit of self-care!). I used to have such a good reading habit that has been lost as a result of the hustle and bustle of kids. I am going to read tonight. Thank you for this reminder and gift.
Ah, my kids LOVE to read or have a good story read to them! This is part of our nightly routine because it truly helps to make them relaxed & sleepy! But even outside of bedtime they love to read. Books help build imagination and also develop cognitive skills. There are sooooo many amazing benefits to children’s books and them reading them!
So true!
Completely agree, reading is the best hobby which boosts thinking, helps in learning and imagining. Books are the best gifts and once a child develops the habit of reading he/ she will understand the imaginary and creative world that gets created is a different one altogether.
I agree. We should all do some reading before we go off to sleep. It helps! Great points 🙂
I totally agree that reading is a stress reliever.
Reading is such a great escape.
I love how reading with my 3 year old is so bonding! We love to talk about the story afterwards as well.
Thanks for sharing this much-needed advice. I love to read and work in an elementary school library. There are too many pressures from sports, to parents wanting high test scores and grades. I hope more parent and families consider turning off electronics and reading a good book together. It is just another example of my lessons earned. 🙂
Great points.
Great tips! I’m gonna share this with my friends that have kids! 🙂
I love this post!! My kids and I love to read, so it’s good to know that it can relieve their stress. Thanks for the info!
I couldn’t agree more! My kids and I love to snuggle up together in a cozy spot, and take turns reading. A great way to spend some quality time.
The books were always by best teacher beside nature.
I can imagine if done from little feets..
Great post
This is a great read. I totally agree. Shared with my fellow parents.
This is great! Shared with my health peeps. 🙂
Great post! I know that reading something fun helps me destress, so it’s important that kids also have a way to reduce stress. I do find that reading is a family bonding time, as I love sitting with my daughter and reading with her! Thanks for sharing!
Lovely post! I’ve just finished reading a book to my little boy before his bedtime so it was really nice to read this after.
You mentioned nature poetry books and I agree these are great as calming reads. One we love is called ‘The Lost Words’ by Macfarlane and Morris. It has some lovely poems and amazing illustrations!
I’ll have to check out those that you recommended. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for sharing your recommendation and happy reading!
Great post thanks for sharing. I love reading books
These are some great reasons to encourage your kids to read and I love that you helpfully gave some suggestions on books to look for! My oldest loves reading but my youngest still needs some encouragement. Maybe I will try out some of your book suggestions!
Reading is the best therapy and books are the best gifts!
My kids receive books each month through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and my mom has gifted them subscriptions to Baby Bug, Lady Bug, Ranger Rick, and Humpty Dumpty magazines. They enjoy reading these over and over and love reading about animals.
Sounds like the gift that keeps on giving. Enjoy!