I am a big fan of reading before bed. I started reading to my daughter at bedtime on her first night home from the hospital. So it has always been a tradition of ours. Today we have the opportunity to share an adorable new bedtime story for kids that features funny animals, and silly situations that will have them counting, laughing, and falling asleep happy.

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Good Night, My Love was written and illustrated by Debbie Bryant. This colorful bedtime story starts with a young child who claims that she isn’t tired at all. (Which is a conversation that will surely resonate with lots of parents). The mother in the story then settles the child down, tucks her in, and tells her a story that takes her around the world and counts down from ten to one. The rhyming text and vibrant illustrations then count different groups of animals, and show them participating in all kinds of bedtime activities. As the book winds down, the story comes full circle with the young child and her stuffed animals drifting off to sleep as well.

My daughter absolutely adored the animal characters in this book, and seeing them taking part in bedtime traditions that she recognized. She also loved the familiar conversation about not being tired, which is one we have quite often. This is a fun book that helps kids count down from ten, but also helps them to settle in and drift off to a good night’s sleep.

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Bedtime Routines

My daughter has been a difficult sleeper since she was a baby. I tried establishing routines with her early on in the hopes that it would help, and after a LOT of trial and error, we have finally settled into a good routine. Routines are so important to kids, especially in the early years. This book introduces kids to all kinds of bedtime routines, that they may recognize or already take part in. If you don’t have an established bedtime routine with your kids already, then this book provides as great opportunity to start one.

Take the ideas from the book and develop your own bedtime routine. From bedtime snacks and brushing teeth, to tucking in their stuffed animals and taking a bath, there are all kinds of options included. If your kids are visual learners, you can print out this chart and hang it in your home. Cut out the images that you want to use and hang them where everyone can see them. These will be a solid reminder for everyone of what comes next.

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Counting Game

This book helps kids to count down from ten to one, which provides a great opportunity to play a counting game. I created this printable matching game that you can easily do with your kids. First, print out the animal counters and the numbered beds and cut them out. Have kids count out the animals and place the groups in the correctly numbered beds. You can take this a step further and attach the animals to clothespins and have them clip the pins to the edges of the beds. This lets kids work on hand strength as well as counting and grouping.

Bedtime Giggles

In the book, the five red pandas end their day with bedtime giggles. We usually end up giggling during our bedtime routine too, so we thought that others should too! Each night, before we start our bedtime reading, we talk about our favorite parts of our day. This often leads us to lots of giggles as we reminisce about the highlights of the day. We have even started filling out this gratitude journal every night together. Focusing on the positives and what you are grateful for at the end of the day helps to end the day on a high note, and hopefully lead to sweet dreams.

What is your favorite bedtime story for kids? Share in the comments below, and don’t forget to share this post with others in need of a bedtime routine!

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