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November is Family Stories Month

Spend some time sharing your stories with your children

November 3, 2010

With the hectic lives we lead these days, it is easy to fall into the trap of allowing our children to get "plugged in" for entertainment. Many computer games are quite educational, and with Tivo we can simply tape our "parent-approved" cartoons for our children to watch at any time. With this convenience, though, family story-time often gets pushed aside. Many families read a few books before bedtime, but story-time used to be a lengthy activity rather than a quick routine.

There is something special about turning off the t.v. and cuddling up with a good book. I have always loved to snuggle under a blanket and read my way through Beverly Cleary books, and then the babysitters club, and eventually Sweet Valley High and the mystery books. Now, when I get a chance, I prefer to read to my kids. My daughter especially is infatuated with books. She could care less about what cartoon may be on t.v. She wants us to read to her all day long. She has her favorite books memorized and actually reads them to herself now. It is too cute. It is special to me that I have passed on my love of reading to her. But there is more to storytelling than just reading a book

November is Family Stories Month. It is the perfect time to skip that half hour show (which we can watch after the kids go to bed anyway) turn off the t.v., grab a cozy blanket and share some stories. While reading a book has fantastic benefits, teaching our children to tell their own stories encourages them to use their imagination. It builds their confidence as they progress and can start to tell longer and better stories. And it helps them work on those public speaking skills that will be so valuable later one. So change it up and have some fun! Here are some great ideas to introduce the art of storytelling back into your family.
  • Let your kids give you the characters and topic and then you make up the story, or vice versa.This is my son's favorite thing to do during story-time. The most recent was a story about the family taking an airplane to count the stars
  • Turn your day into a story adventure. Maybe the most exciting thing to happen was a trip to the playground....but in your story the rock that you found could have been a rare and precious diamond and you saved it from the pirates on the boat.
  • Play the what-if game. This is why Stinky Face books are so popular, kids LOVE what-ifs. What if the snow falling out the window was really teeny tiny men that fell from the sky? What if Daddy had an elephant in his ear that told him what to do?
  • Remember other members of the family. Though they are gone, they are not forgotten. And just because Grandma lives five states away doesn't mean the kids can't get to know her! Tell them stories of when you were growing up, stories of those you loved.
  • Tell your funny childhood memories. My children LOVE to hear me tell the story of how their Aunt once made me laugh so hard that I literally peed my pants. They love to hear that daddy got a marble stuck in his nose and had to blow it out and it flew across the room. These memories are priceless stories. And they make you seem a little more fun to them!

Whatever you choose to do, get those little minds involved. If they are shy about it, help them along. Ask them questions, such as who do you think stole the cookie? Why do you think daddy stuck a marble up his nose? What do you think happened next? You may be surprised what wonderful story tellers you have on your hands!