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What's the meaning of 'snuggle time' in this sentence, this is a coaching/parenting advice from a brochure:

Spend snuggle time reading with toddlers and preschoolers.

I've searched and found that it is related to cuddling and lying in a comfortable way, but I don't fully grasp the meaning of the sentence. Maybe this is a cultural practice that is not common in my culture. Is this when a parent and a child lie together and do something?

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OK, you're looking for something beyond dictionary definitions of snuggle. A picture is worth a thousand words, so here is a range of examples:

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Credits: Images 1-6 courtesy CanStockPhoto, Image 7 courtesy pixabay

Snuggle basically means being physically close or in physical contact in a cozy, comfortable, affectionate or comforting way.

The suggestion in the brochure is to spend time reading with toddlers and preschoolers while snuggling with them, which, I suppose, would provide some focused, affectionate time with them and create a warm, comfortable, happy association with reading. Some picture examples of snuggling and reading with children:

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Credits: Image 1 courtesy Parenting Counts, Image 2 courtesy Reading Corners for Kids

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Credits: Image 1 courtesy Dreamstime, Image 2 courtesy Reading and Art

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Credit: Image courtesy Register-Herald

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    Where do these images come from? What are the licensing terms? Where are the credits? Do you have permission to reproduce them? – Lightness Races in Orbit May 14 '17 at 11:10
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    @BoundaryImposition, thanks for pointing out the oversight. Fixed. – fixer1234 May 14 '17 at 17:06
  • ?!? This pictures have nothing to do with reading to a child... – MaxW May 14 '17 at 23:17
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    @MaxW, the question is about the meaning of "snuggle", the only part of the quote the OP didn't understand. So I focused on the meaning of snuggle. I think the OP fully understands reading to a child. But if you can locate an image that shows snuggling while reading to children, I'll be happy to add it. – fixer1234 May 14 '17 at 23:31
  • @MaxW, better? :-) – fixer1234 May 15 '17 at 0:44
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This expects that you have some time being physically close with your children. It might be that you sometimes watch TV together with your child on your lap. Not a specific cultural practice, normal physical closeness between a young child and their parents.

The brochure suggests that instead of watching tv (for example) you should read to your children.

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    "Not a specific cultural practice, normal physical closeness between a young child and their parents." Your assertion that this must be categorically "normal" betrays a cultural bias, directly leading to the unfounded first part of your sentence. – Lightness Races in Orbit May 14 '17 at 11:10
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    @BoundaryImposition Harry Harlow's studies suggest that the characterization as categorically normal is valid for primates generally. – chrylis -cautiouslyoptimistic- May 14 '17 at 14:42
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Not lying together, necessarily. Although lying side by side on a blanket watching the night sky or in bed watching TV would be snuggling. Most likely it would involve side-by-side physical contact while reading or even playing a game like pat-a-cake or this little pig. It could include having the child sitting in your lap while playing or doing some recreational activity (coloring book, singing, whatever).

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Spend snuggle time reading with toddlers and preschoolers.

It means to read to the children while in close physical contact. So the child would be in lap or sitting next to adult. This could also be done while putting child to bed with adult sitting on edge of bed, or laying next to the child.

For this type of activity with young children (pre-reading themselves) typically a story picture with pictures would be used. There would typically be just a few sentences per page so that the pictures would change quickly as the story was read by the adult.

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