How to Find a Book to Read Before Bed

Feel Whole Challenge Day 10: Find a New Book to Read Before Bed

In the technology-driven world we live in, reading before bed has become a thing of the past for many. Children and adults alike can often be found in the hours leading up to bedtime with devices in their hands, watching and using screens. From movies and television series to social media and news, screen time is dominating our attention.

Is this a good thing? And what are we giving up in turn for picking up our devices?

As a busy mom, I am often guilty of letting our children watch a few minutes of a show before we say goodnight. I am often tired myself and reading a book together can feel like one more thing at the end of a long day. In addition, I often fall asleep while putting our children to bed, so reading a new book, just for me, doesn’t happen at bedtime often.

I love to read, and I actually keep a stack of books in my car that I will read when I am waiting for the kids to finish practices. Also, I will often take a book down to sit by the lake or on the back porch at midday, so I do find time to read throughout the day. I just don’t often read at bedtime.>

Today’s Feel Whole Challenge is to find a new book to read before bed. This challenge is a great one for families and individuals alike. This challenge is a great way to think about how we can incorporate reading in our bedtime routine and how it can benefit us.

This week, I took two of our children to the bookstore. They loved getting to look through all the books and pick out something new to read. In fact, at one point, our three year old had a stack of books she wanted to purchase and take home. She loved sitting on the floor of the bookstore, looking at the pictures, telling me the stories as she saw them.

I often order books for the kids online since we do not have a bookstore in our hometown. The day we went to the bookstore was a fun outing since it was something we don’t do often. You could alternatively take them to the library, where they could pick out a few books to borrow, without having to spend any money.

From my experience, kids love when you read to them. Reading together as a family, or with just one child, is a great way to quietly connect before bed. A bedtime story can be a great way to relax your children and calm them from the business of the day. They will appreciate your presence and attentiveness. If this isn’t something you normally do, try starting out by reading together at bedtime once a week.

If you don’t have young children to read to at bedtime, you can benefit from reading before you go to sleep at night. Find a new book that interests you. I love to read books about mothering and growing in my faith, but I know many people can often be lost in a good fiction story.

Try setting aside some extra time at night and see how you feel when you read for 10-20 minutes before bed. Who knows? It may be something you end up wanting to implement in your nightly routine.

Writer: Ginger Unzueta Ginger is a spiritual photographer who loves capturing special moments of her family. She believes that beauty can be found in every day and celebrates the silly, messy and magical moments of motherhood. She uses her photography to show the expressions of what being a mom is like and all the smiles that go with it.