How to Nurture a Heart For Learning in Your Child

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In many ways, the art of storytelling is all but extinct these days. We can read books in print, we can read books on our tablets, our phones, our reading devices, and our computers at the drop of a hat. We are bombarded by numerous forms of media options, and I don’t know about you, but sometimes I long for the days long ago when families gathered around the fireplace every evening after dinner and listened to stories they created.

I find kids of all ages, but especially young kids, love being told a story. They sit on the edge of their seat while paying close attention, asking questions along the way.

Some people are storytellers by nature while it takes a bit more effort for others. Here are 10 great starters for creating your own story to delight your little one today!

1. Put your child into the story—and the more adventure the better. Kids love hearing about how they are the hero, the princess, or the one who invents the next thing the world needs.
2. Share stories from your life or from the life of your family. My kids love hearing about when I was a kid. They also love hearing about when I was pregnant with them, the day they were born, or another memory from when they are too young to remember.
3. Create an ongoing story that you share at various times. Much like you would read a chapter in a book with your child each day, tell a bit more of the story each day.
4. Create a story about a character your child loves. Daniel Tiger is huge with my three year old right now. I could make up any kind of story about Daniel Tiger and he would be all ears.
5. Tell a story that highlights a character quality you want to enforce in your child. If your child were having trouble with lying, make up a story about lying that teaches the lesson you want your child to learn.
6. Think of funny stories that happened to people you know and then tell that story. You don’t even have to tell your child that it is a true story, just tell it as though it were a story you made up.
7. Allow your child to choose the characters and any other details you choose. Then, you weave the story together.
8. Tell a goofy story. Kids love stories that make them laugh. Have animals do human things like make meals, drive cars, and do the grocery shopping.
9. Continue the story of one of your child’s favorite books. Just pick up the story where the book left off using your own creative juices.
10. Use a story you like from a book and retell it in your own words. Maybe it’s even a book you remember from when you were a kid, but just tell a story in your own words wherever you find it.

Telling our kids stories not only dusts off our imaginations, but it also encourages our children to exercise their imaginations, too. When you are creative, usually they will be creative. Storytelling is a great way to be intentional, to make memories, and to instill within our children a love for learning.