Grab a book and read.
Statistics indicate that toddlers who are read to on average grow up to have greater self-worth.
Through words and illustrations, children learn how to articulate positive and negative emotions, form an identity from the characters and develop a sense of imagination. And the interaction not only pulls shy children out of their shells, it helps calm down those on the fast track. Reading to children also decreases stress because after a day of playing by the rules and trying to fit into an adult world, they can get lost in the magic of storytelling. We may think of stress as a uniquely adult problem and assume children have happy, carefree lives. Stress is simply the result of demands and a person's level of ability to meet them.