Invent an interactive story with your child

You got into the habit of telling your child a story in the evening. You read him a book or you maybe make up your own stories! It is a unique moment that you both share, to help him have beautiful dreams. So why not stimulate his creativity by inventing a story together?

The steps in building interactive stories for kids

Making your child tell a story may seem simple, but it can also be difficult for them to get started. It is not that from a lack of imagination, but perhaps the constituent elements of a story are not yet well known to him. Here's a little tip to help him learn.

First of all, take books you both know. Ask him to point out which are the main characters and which are the secondary characters. Differentiate those who help the protagonist of the story with those who stop him from moving forward. After that, we have to find the locations! A beach, a magic forest, a city, a planet... Finally, make a list of the actions and missions carried out by the characters.

For each correct answer, draw with him the character, the villain, the place and the action on a small card that you will have previously prepared. The goal is to create a library of images that you will later use! Take your time and when you think there are enough cards, tell your child that you will both invent a story!

Start by asking him to draw a character, a place and an action card and to make a sentence out of it starting with once upon a time. "Once upon a time... there was a... squirrel... gone to Mars... to buy a car...". Ask him questions about the character: what does he look like, does he have a family or friends, etc. Then, have him draw a "bad" character card and another "action" card to make a sentence starting with "When all of a sudden". "When all of a sudden... the king of the forest... cuts down the squirrel's tree!". Have fun, and reduce the number of times your child has to pick a card, so he can develop his imagination!

BONUS : You can also use other cards, from a board game or family photos for example !

How to stimulate his creativity

To help him immerse himself in the story, think about creating an atmosphere conducive to imagination. Turn off the light and put yourself under the covers with him with a flashlight for example! You can redo some scenes like in theater and take on objects from the set. Have fun changing your voice to make the story more alive!