How stuffed animals can boost children’s reading and imagination

Stuffed animal sleepovers are one of the fun and effective ways to get children interested in reading, suggests a new Japanese study. Designed to get children interested in picture books, stuffed animal sleepover programs involve children taking their stuffed animals along to a library and leaving them there for a sleepover. During the sleepover the animals ‘search’ for books they want to read, with staff and volunteers taking photos of the animals exploring the library and reading together. Children collect their stuffed animals the next day, along with the photos of their nighttime adventures and reading, and are given the books their animals chose to read. In addition to developing reading skills, reading to the animals can also help to develop a child’s imagination.  these beneficial effects are long lasting, with the children encouraged to read with their animals long after the sleepover took place.