Let’s face it: Kids are under a lot of pressure. You tend to see it more as they grow up and become teenagers, but with school, family, and social stress, kids are probably carrying bigger burdens than we can see sometimes. Before they get to those even more stressful preteen and teenage years, author Kelly Paniagua wrote a book series that includes the title Bedtime for Sarah Sullivan, which reinforces positive thinking in kids right before bed.
Bedtime for Sarah Sullivan is now available in a very adorable app that contains the same beautiful illustrations that Jessica Warrick provides for the book. The app encourages parents to sit with their kids for about 30 minutes before bed to talk about the past day, the day ahead, and the dreams that will happen in between. Paniagua says she firmly subscribes to the idea of “Happy to bed, happy to rise,” meaning kids that go to sleep happy wake up able to more positively handle the challenges ahead.
The app contains the storybook, telling the tale of Sarah Sullivan and her father (Paniagua was inspired to write the story when she saw the relationship between her husband, Julian McMahon, and her stepdaughter, Madison, as she grew up) as Sarah is getting ready to go to bed. He listens as Sarah happily recounts where she will go in her dreams—the moon, the jungle, etc.—and the illustrations reinforce the positivity theme, showing Sarah dreaming and telling the stories with a smile on her face.
The storybook feature of the app features three modes: autoplay, read to me, and read by myself. Each mode allows kids to read the story the way that best suits their abilities. As the app reads, it lights up words—which is great because it adds the extra value of literacy education into the mix. Inside the story, animated illustrations allow kids to really engage with the text. Also, both boys and girls will be able to relate to Sarah’s adventures, so it’s great for all the little ones in your life.
The Bedtime for Sarah Sullivan app also includes edutainment activities, such as fun games and Dream Drawings. The Dream Drawings really inspire creativity, allowing kids to draw what they will see in their dreams. They can draw positive happy images and go to bed with a calm mind. I love that the Dream Drawings activity also gives super silly suggestions as well—so those who have no idea what to draw don’t have to be discouraged!
Overall, Bedtime for Sarah Sullivan will help teach your kids to develop healthy habits in positive thinking, allowing them to better deal with whatever stressful situations come their way. As adults, we know the hardest thing to do sometimes is to clear our heads as we lay down to fall asleep, so this app can help give kids—and even you, parents—a great, optimistic way to live more positively.
Check out a little preview of the app here:
