One of the great parts about reading to kids from an early age, is that it teaches them about the power of stories. At only 2 years old, my daughter could often be heard making up her own stories and telling them to her dolls, stuffed animals and pets. She loves when I make up stories about her, and retelling them has become a big part of our day. Storytelling with kids can have great benefits for your children, and they will probably remember some of them for the rest of their lives.

Standard Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a commission from purchases you make through the links in this post.

When we were younger, my Dad used to tell us a story during bathtime about “Bubble Island”. This story featured a king and queen (with the names of my parents) and two princesses (named after me and my sister). The two princesses traveled from one island of bubbles to another one and brought the queen back to the King, along the way learning how to blow bubbles in the air. This culminated in us scooping up handfuls of bubbles and blowing them off our hands and into the air. We laughed and laughed and begged him to tell it again.

Thirty years later, my sister and I still remember the story in much greater detail than my Dad does. He had no idea that the story he made up would stick with us, but sure enough I have even told it to my daughter during her bath time. What seemed like a simple story to him, because a part of our childhood memories.

Building Memories Through Stories

Making up stories for your kids can build sweet memories that stick with them through adulthood. My daughter has caught me off guard a few times, asking me to repeat a story that I don’t even remember making up! I know there have been a few stories that I have made up during late nights when she couldn’t sleep, which make no sense. They are definitely not all winners. But there are a few that she has fallen in love with and requests over and over again. She loves that these stories are starring her, and feature the people and pets that she loves.

Making up Stories for Your Kids

Where do you find the inspiration to make up stories for your kids? If you are feeling uninspired, don’t worry! There is inspiration everywhere. One of my daughter’s favorite stories to hear is one where I put our family members into the Minnie-rella episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Her favorite stories often involve placing her in her favorite books, movies or TV shows. She also loves when I send her and our dog on a silly adventure somewhere in the world. Even if the story doesn’t make any sense, she loves them, and she is learning to make up her own stories along the way.

Trading Storytelling Time

One of my favorite things about telling stories to my daughter, is that she now likes making stories up on her own. One of her favorite activities in the summer is swinging on her swing in our backyard. We spend a lot of time swapping stories while I push her on the swings. At the beginning of the summer last year, I told most of the stories. However, as the summer stretched on, she started taking over some of the storytelling responsibilities, and we started trading on and off. This not only gave me a break from thinking up new stories, but also allowed me to hear her progress in making up stories that make sense. We now do this on walks, in the car, or while we are waiting in restaurants as well.

Related Post: Learning in the Car

Using Stories to Deal with Issues

One of my favorite ways to use storytelling with my daughter, is to deal with current issues or situations. When she decided that she was scared of the dark, I created stories about her and our dog using different strategies and coping mechanisms to deal with their fears. As she listened to the characters face their fears, she also learned how to handle her fears in real life. I have also used this tactic while trying to teach her about social situations or arguments that she has had with friends. By tailoring the stories to familiar situations, I am able to teach her important skills in a fun and engaging way.

There are so many fun ways that you can use storytelling with kids. From creating memories to helping them deal with life’s struggles, storytelling is a fun and engaging way to teach them new skills and connect with them. Does your family enjoy telling stories together?