Story Time

Bedtime has morphed into story time at our house. Our glide from reading books to inventing stories was pure luck ~ but it has brought us closer and has sparked the kids' imaginations. During the day, the kids tell me about dad's plot twists. They tell him about the latest in "The Zebra," the tale of zoo animals that travel by rocket across the country solving mysteries.

The stories you invent will be unique and your own. Some ideas to get started:

• Make up characters that include your kids, like Agent Allison Abbermarky, people in your lives, your pets.
• Put a favorite character from a book into a new story. Exxagerate the character's personality traits. If they are tall, they become r-e-a-l-l-y tall.
• When our kids were younger (2-4) the stories were simpler. One story revolved around two kids (with names surprisingly similar to our kids) who found a secret room in their house filled with presents. The kids in the story "opened" the presents one by one and I described the boxes and their contents in detail ~ fluffy white feathers, mango-flavored jelly beans, odd shaped keys, puppies.
• Use inventive names. Names from old TV series (i.e. Starsky & Hutch, Bewitched), foods (Sargent Sprout, Professor Turnip), silly names (Sven Brottenmeisweiler), and even numbers.
• Elaborate on something that happened on a family vacation. If you went on a train, you can put the characters on that train going elsewhere. The train might be able to turn into a boat.
• Build a story around the jobs your kids want to do. A story about a vet and an astronaut that go on a spaceship to find animals on other planets.
• Base a story on a postcard or painting.
• Use vivid language. "A red shiny box with a silver label" engages your kids' imagination.
• Throw new words into the mix ~ techno terms (digital voice recorder, GPS), physics terms (gravity, magnetism), colors (aquamarine, indigo), you get the idea. Your kids will want to know what they mean!
• Keep it going! My husband's story about cross-galaxy adventures is in its second year. Add characters, turn goodies into villains, give them new powers or knowledge. If you have a continuing series, it's fun for the ending to hint at what's coming next, or to end with a familiar saying.
• Write yourself a few notes so you can actually remember what you said!

An article in The Guardian touts the benefits of inventing stories. I'd suggest adding it to your bedtime routine a few nights a week and see how it goes. If it's not fun, no worries, there are hundreds of great books to read. It's all about cuddling up and sharing before going to sleep ~ ending the evening on a good note. There are good resources on developing stories, including Rick Walton's "Coming Up With Story Ideas" or "6 Easy Steps to Telling Great Bedtime Stories" from iVillage.