This is what I remember of my childhood. The lights dimmed and the blanket tucked. Soft and satiny and I bundled in, snuggling besides my ma. Soft music playing on the side. Cradled in the nook of her arms, as dad kisses my forehead and bids me good night. The kitchen smell on ma's clothes and a wisp of her hair softly caressing my face. And then a story. A story about far away lands and princes and princesses. Of the victory of truth over the evil. Then, somewhere between the princess in the castle and the prince on his shining horse, slowly my eyes droop and sleep takes me into dreams that aren't much different from the bedtime stories, really. The next day passes and again I wait for when ma will take me back into the story land. They still bring a smile to my lips, even after all these years. Bedtime stories aren't just stories, they are a tradition. A symbol of the security and safety that parents provide for a child. The whole scenario of being with your parents or someone close to you and listening to a story goes way beyond the mere incident. It encompasses so much more. There are the feelings of safety, trust and security that the whole experience evokes and then the stories by themselves create a medium of lesson - of teaching children important lessons like values and morals and helping them distinguish between right and wrong behavior. That is why bedtime stories become important. Furthermore, several studies have proven that relating bedtime stories actually helps children grasp concepts better and they become more secure as children, which then has a positive effect on everything that they undertake. While you might have your stock of bedtime stories for your child all stacked up, the following article will provide for a few ideas that you can use. Good Bedtime Story Ideas Maybe you've exhausted all the books that you'd brought or maybe your child is demanding something new and interesting and that has driven you to come up with newer choices for bedtime stories. Here are some ideas that you can draw inspiration from and create interesting concepts and stories for the same. Teaching Morals The best bedtime stories are those that have a moral running through them. All stories need to have fun elements, no doubt, which is essentially built through the characters and the story line, but then those characters have to also be the beacons of morals and values. Though the stories might look simple stories that have been written for entertainment, the best and most effective stories are those that teach about values and morals. The parents and guardians can then take up the stories and discuss the varied teachings in the stories and thereby help inculcate these varied concepts in the child's mind. These then promise to be their first lessons in learning about good behavior, the difference between good and evil and similar concepts. If you are done with your stock of books, then you could try and write a story that highlights these teachings or you could even make it an exercise that you and your child can work on together. Relating Experiences Often parents complain that they aren't able to spend adequate time with their kids because of their demanding schedule. How about making the most of the time that you do spend with your kids? At bedtime. Here is how you can better communicate with them and become a part of their life. Turn yourselves and them into characters. And for the story? Just relate the days proceedings in an interesting manner. Then have them do the same so that you know what is going on in their lives as well. This will excite them to no end and they'll love the shift from the same old, same old to the new. This is a process that leads to more bonding between the child and guardian because there is so much scope for interaction and communication. Incorporating Other Devices Incorporate different devices into the storytelling to make it more interesting. There are a couple of ideas that you can use. These would include using different accents and voices for the different characters, using sock puppets to turn the page and act out the different scenes or recording a story onto a recorder and then using the same as a variation. Art and Craft How about you create a story book with the help of your child? You could either take up a story that is the child's favorite or you could create a story that is based on your family with the kid as one of the main characters. This will help the kid relate better to the story. So also, the interesting ways in which you decorate the book with all the stickers will only make it a more enjoyable experience that he will look forward to. These were some interesting bedtime story ideas for kids that you can take up. To these you can add your own, and all in all, make it a fun and learning experience for the kid. Something that will become a memory, that he'll cherish throughout his life.