Alia Bhatt shares she reads to daughter Raha every night before bed; psychologist shares positive impact of it

Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt recently launched a children’s book series under the universe of her maternity and children’s wear label Ed-a-mama. In an interview with Mid-Day, she spoke about how her daughter inspired parts of the story, and the fact that she reads to Raha every night before bed.

Bhatt, who wasn’t much of a reader while growing up, shared that she was forced to read books by her mother. With her daughter, she plans to keep up the norm as well.

For many of us, childhood is associated with memories of our mothers or grandparents sitting and narrating tales from far and wide as we drifted off to sleep.

Indianexpress.com spoke to Srishti Vatsa, a counselling psychologist, to understand the benefits and impact of such storytelling sessions on the impressionable minds of young kids.

“Reading to children before bed has a positive impact on their cognitive development. In their formative stages, young kids are always observing and learning from their environment. Therefore, when a parent or caregiver reads to them, they pick up on their pronunciations and learn new words. It acts as a fantastic tool for collecting new information,” she said.

According to Vatsa, parents can think of reading to their children as nothing short of making an investment in their future.

“Ed finds a Home” is the first part in a series from the universe of Ed-a-mamma. (Source: Instagram/Alia Bhatt)

“Besides strengthening their emotional bond with the child, the undivided attention they’re giving their child provides a sense of security and safety, it also increases the child’s concentration,” she added.

Scheduling reading into their daily schedule every night builds a sense of discipline and structure within the child.

“A lot of us have grown up reading and being read tales from Amar Chitra Katha and Suppandi, which are inspirational as well as humorous in nature. Reading stories help instill a sense of creativity and imagination in the child, and cultivates a love of reading in them,” Vatsa explained.

The impact of audio-visual stimulation through the act of reading and being read to can help children develop their language and communication, stimulate their brain to produce visual imagery and enhance their social skills.

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