At one point in this parenting adventure, I had three little ones 3 years old and under. So there were many days of blocks and trucks and dolls and tummy time all happening simultaneously. I built towers of blocks so that Anderson could have the joy of knocking them down. Again and again. Although other mothers assured me that the kids would get older, I have to admit that there were days when I did not believe them. The “little years” can be a grand mixture of overwhelming monotony and amazing milestones.
In the midst of those days when I was sure that I would always be changing diapers and wiping carrots out of someone’s hair, I would ask Anderson questions just to hear his answers.
“If this turtle could fly would he have rotor blades like a helicopter or wings like a bird?”
“If we were small enough to fit into your toy trucks, what would we do?”
He was young enough to actually answer these crazy questions and his answers gave me a glimpse into his imagination. During one of his cowboy phases, around age 5, we wrote a story named Buck the Cowboy. I was just going for a beginning, middle and end, but Anderson threw in the conflict and resolution on his own and made it a complete story. It was such a fun project that I wanted to share it with you.
To write a story with your child:
1. Start with a subject your child enjoys. Anderson started the ball rolling by drawing a picture of a cowboy. I asked questions about the picture and wrote his answers. Choosing a time when your child is in the right frame of mind is also important. Keep a notebook nearby to jot down their answers. Buck the Cowboy wore a big cowboy hat. He was tall. He wore brown cowboy boots. He had a horse named Brownie. Buck loved to ride and throw ropes and sing and do things all by himself.
2. Ask questions. Even if the conversation sounds like the latest episode of your child’s favorite television show, ask questions to get your story-teller going. The action part of our story evolved when I asked “What did Buck do? “What happened next?” One day he went to the store to buy cowboy ropes. And it was a good thing he did. Later that day, Buck the Cowboy was riding on his horse and Brownie was going too fast. Brownie tried to stop but he could not. So Buck threw out his rope and it landed on a cactus. They slid past the cactus. Soon they stopped. “Whew!” Buck said. “That was close!”
3. Include your child’s personality in the story. If there is a phrase he likes to say, or if she has a favorite color or song, include this in your story. The last sentence of our story was classic Anderson and he loved hearing his words in the story. Later I wrote a story for Maggie about a princess who loved to climb and swing on things. She loved it.
4. Put the pictures and words together. I took pictures of Anderson’s drawings and pasted them into a Word document. Then I typed the words under the pictures. It only took three pages including the cover of our book, but he was so proud of it.
My little cowboy turned 10 this week. These days his stories are filled with spaceships and alien attacks. I still love it when he illustrates his stories, because I get a glimpse of what is going on in his imagination. Grab these moments when you can ask the crazy questions and get answers not bound by reality. Our little storytellers will grow, as will their stories, and we have the perfect view to watch each chapter unfold.
Erin
Investing in a Child 