Stories to Encourage Creativity

Once upon a time.… Those words have entertained children for ages.

Stories and kids belong together like wind in a kite. A good story can make their imaginations soar, whether they hear one or tell one. That story can help them make sense of their world, show them that right can triumph over wrong, or just keep their minds open to wonder. Let’s not forget — it can also make them laugh like crazy!

Simply put, children love stories.

But not all kids can make them up. I know this, because over the last six years I’ve worked to inspire over 40,000 elementary school students to write creatively. In workshop after workshop, I’ve found that most school-age children have a hard time inventing a story. Being creative has become hard work for them. There are many reasons for this, but when given a little help, kids jump in with both feet.

Your family is the perfect place to let stories thrive. Making stories is fun! It’s fast! It’s fat-free! Best of all, both you and your child will benefit.

Here’s how to get started.

Read stories aloud. Nothing is better at building a child’s understanding of how a story works. A study done by researcher Barbara Eckhoff showed a strong link between the types of stories children were exposed to and the types of stories they created themselves.

Share your own stories. The most impressive stories you can tell are the ones from your own life. They have a strong impact because they’re your personal stories. It’s wonderful to see your child’s eyes grow wide in amazement and hear them ask, “That really happened to you?”

Learn basic plots. We’re not talking War and Peace. But knowing simple plots can help you keep stories on track. They’ll be exciting journeys rather than aimless rambles. And just maybe, the next puppet show your kids put on won’t make your eyes glaze over.

Create stories with your kids. Whether it’s a multi-chapter epic or just a chuckle of an idea, inventing a tale as a family is too much fun to miss. And the opportunities are endless. Story time can be in the car, around the table, or before bed.

My 3-year-old daughter loves to join me in making stories while she swings. Any age child can get involved. From time to time, my 15-year-old son and I will go for a long walk to work out the plot of a story we’re creating together. That story will likely be a book I’ll write, but homemade tales don’t have to be written down. Often, you can do it just for the pleasure of being imaginative with your kids. Use the activities I’ve suggested if you need a boost.

You can get your child’s imagination to soar like a kite. Making stories is really a breeze.

Why Children Lose Their Creative Edge

All kids are born creative. It’s a gift from their Creator. But when given the choice, many children today do not gravitate toward inventive fun. What do I mean?

A few years ago, I sat around a dinner table with my father-in-law and his R.O.M.E.O. club (that’s Retired Old Men Eating Out). Most were men who had childhoods in the depression or soon after. When I asked what they did for fun as kids, I was amazed at their stories.

Faced with few toys, they invented games with little more than a discarded can. They had marble tournaments. In short, they made their fun. Many of us have similar memories of our own childhood.

But today, many children find it hard to amuse themselves. Why?

• Lack of leisure time. Kids are kept busy. After-school programs, sports teams and homework keep kids from trouble, and boredom. But boredom is often the first step to inventing fun. “Down time” is the ground where ideas grow. Dr. Seuss developed his love for drawing by simply hanging out at a local zoo with his dad.
• Readiness of electronic entertainment. When kids do have unscheduled time, fun is just an on-button away. Television, video games and computers (called “screens” in our house) give kids instant enjoyment. Such entertainment can be good, but it can only imagine so far. It locks kids into someone else’s ideas and keeps kids from exploring their own. As Joyce Myers has said, “A #2 pencil and an imagination can take you anywhere.”
• A focus on product not process. Schools are under tremendous pressure to get kids to test well. Many teachers I talk to wonder how a child will learn to think creatively if there is little time for “open-ended problems” — questions that have many possible answers. Parents, as well, often focus on final results. We cherish the finished painting over the pages of messy sketches.

What’s the answer? In part, slow down. Restrict “screens.” Enjoy the creative journey, not just the final arrival. And try out some of my story-creating activities.

Reading Aloud

What makes reading aloud so wonderful? Not only do you help your child’s brain to grow, but you also share in the process of discovering a good story.

For those of you who have a touch of the actor in you, reading aloud gives you the most appreciative audience. Studies show that reading aloud aids the growth of a child’s language, understanding of how a story works, and even self-image.

What I have found surprising is that once one starts, it’s hard to stop — even when kids are grown. I read picture books to my 3-year-old, J.R.R. Tolkien to my 10-year-old, and humorous travel books to my teenagers. Great fun!

Tips for Reading Aloud

For Preschoolers

• Start your kids early.
• Try to read aloud every day. Even just 10 minutes.
• It’s a process. Just as you learn how to read aloud, they’ll learn how to listen.
• Read with feeling. See yourself as an actor — slow down or speed up depending on that part of the story. You are an actor on a very small stage.
• If reading a picture book, make sure the kids can see the pictures. Laps are perfect for this.
• Don’t worry about interruptions. Allow kids to think aloud about the story.
• Get your child involved. Let them guess what happens next or finish a sentence they’ve learned from repetition.

For School-age Kids

• Don’t stop reading just because they have Reading in school.
• When you move to chapter books, keep the selections short enough to hold their attention. Leave your audience hanging.
• Try reading in different settings. I once read The Summer of the Monkeys to my kids during short trips to local parks.
• Be enthusiastic. Kids will love what you love.
• Remember, not all great books are great read-alouds. Tom Sawyer is a classic, but it’s also a challenging book to listen to. (I know this the hard way.) There are lists of good read-aloud books available on the Web.
• Make some books seasonal traditions. My kids love to hear my wife read The Greatest Christmas Pageant Ever every couple of years.

For Teens

• Encourage them to read to a younger brother or sister
• Read to them short passages of books you’re reading. “Hey, listen to this!”
• Have a read-aloud night when each member of the family can read a short portion of a favorite book.

For more advice, the Reading Is Fundamental* website is very helpful.

*(Note: Referrals to Web sites not produced by Focus on the Family are for informational purposes only and do not necessarily constitute an endorsement of the sites' content.)

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