3 Ways Bedtime Movies Benefit Kids

Bedtime movies for kids are fun, educational and the perfect excuse for some yummy snacks. If your kids are young, watching a movie before bedtime can be extra special. Watching TV for longer than normally allowed, will leave them basking in the feeling of doing something really grown up.

So, snuggle up to with your favourite blanket, get snacking and let’s dive into the benefits of Bedtime Movies for kids.

Bedtime Movie Benefits

The occasional bedtime movie is great for more than just some good old family fun. It also promotes the following:

1. Emotional Bonding

A bedtime movie brings the whole family together. The close proximity from being cuddled up on the couch together while watching a movie will prompt emotional bonding. In turn, the strengthening of your emotional bonds will open new doors in your relationships.

A movie provides a great starting point for conversation and can even lead to children opening up about themselves. They may include details of their lives at school or mention something that happened with their friends.

2. Learning Life Lessons

Bedtime movies for kids are a great way to sneak important life lessons into a fun activity. They provide the space to discuss things like the differences between the two times when Princess Anna manages to “fall in love” in the movie Frozen. You can compare her instant infatuation with Prince Hans to the slower development of her relationship with Kristoff. What makes it different? Which one do they believe is more real? Why?

Discussions like these give children the space to voice their opinions and form new ones based on evidence. They’ll also learn the importance of fundamental values through the actions of the characters.

3. Stress Relief

School can be tough. That is just a fact of life these days. Tests, assignments and peer conflicts can make the life of young school children stressful. Bedtime movies are a great way to combat this. Laughing and spending time with family is a great way to release tension.

An entertaining bedtime movie allows them to forget their worries and escape to another world for at least an hour or two. The same can be said for any parents watching with them. If your kids are looking a bit overwhelmed, popping on a relaxing movie is the way to go!

Why Do Kids Always Watch The Same Movie?

This might be a question that does more than just float around in your mind. Especially, if your little angel is begging to watch their favourite movie for the umpteenth time.

Repetition Helps Kids Learn

Similarly to adults, the best way for children to learn is through repetition. This applies to more than just movies but is particularly relevant to this question. Has your child ever asked to watch the same movie forty-three times in a row, leaving you baffled as to why they’re not bored yet? The answer is simple. They are learning.

Dr Jessica Horst, a psychologist at the University of Sussex led a study on this desire for repetition. Over a dozen three-year-olds took part in the experiments. The results confirm that when something is read to children over and over, they learn more. Furthermore, the research shows that repeating a story multiple times may be better for their learning than reading a new one every time. Hearing the same story repeatedly also helps improve and solidify their vocabulary. These results can similarly be applied to bedtime movies for kids.

Being Right Makes Them Happy

People like to be right. It is just a fact of life. Not many things can measure up to the satisfaction of being right (especially when someone else is wrong). Enjoying the jubilant feeling of seeing a predicted outcome come to pass is simply part of human nature.

Kids are no exception.
Children are constantly bombarded with new information. Whichever direction they turn in, something unfamiliar is likely to pop up. The problem is that their little brains are still growing and can’t process all of this information yet. Given the unpredictable world they live in, it is quite understandable that they enjoy the comfort of predictability.

When children watch the same movie over and over (and over and over) again, they unconsciously predict how it will go. Seeing as movies don’t exactly change their plotlines between watches, they experience the joy of being right. They have fun.

Sometimes, you ever feel like you are going to lose your sanity if you have to sit through Frozen one more time. But, think of all the learning and growing their incredible brain is doing. The repetition will help them learn to think about what will happen next. Their delight at being right is enough to help most of us through even the thirty-sixth repeat of any movie.

Not Everything Is Easy To Understand

All bedtime movies for kids have various aspects that work together like cogs in a machine. Not all adults will understand the purpose of each cog just by looking at a machine once. They need to take time to study it, analyzing each piece one by one.

That is what children need to do with movies. All the characters, emotions, conversations and situational reactions can be a bit overwhelming to deal with all at once. With everything that happens on screen all at the same time, it is easy for kids to miss things!

Watching a movie repeatedly can help them pick apart each detail until they understand the whole picture. Every time they watch a movie again, they gather another piece of information and learn a few new details from it. As a result, they are able to enjoy the movie more each time they see it.

So, There You Have It!

Bedtime movies for kids will help them learn and mature emotionally. At the same time, you will have the opportunity to find out their stance on the various topics presented. This will give you an idea of how they experience the world.

And they do this all while giving you a few hours of relative peace to maintain your sanity. All parents work hard for their kids, and you are no exception. So why not pop in a movie and let it do the work for you for a change? Sit back, relax and let the age-old “Once upon a time” work its magic.