Telling Stories
Today the girls and I headed to the beach! It was a beautiful sunny 70 degrees here, so we packed a quick lunch and headed out! We played in the waves, ate sand ice cream creations, and told stories together. This last part is something that I have been doing with the girls and they are loving it! Who knew! I don’t think that I am a particularly gifted story teller, but the girls are always captivated. We have a little girl named Jane who goes on adventures! Sometimes she learns something like when she went up into a cloud and learned about the water cycle, and sometimes they are just made up like when Jane swam with her new mermaid friend! The girls love this little dark haired girl and the great thing is that a new story can happen any time no matter where we are! So today Jane built a sand castle that she shrunk to fit inside an met a princess. She climbed into a rock cave and met a hermit crab who took her to his secret beach spot. She met a seagull named Sandpiper who took her to see the ocean from the sky. And she took a ride on a dolphin with her mermaid friend! Jane had a very busy day and I had a perfect moment, laying on the beach, telling stories to my girls! I have a feeling that Jane will be with us for a while! She is connecting us through her adventures and inspiring us to greater creativity! When I tell the stories, the girls are engrossed yet offer up details to add about what is going on! We are building the story and memories together all at the same time!
Do you tell stories at home? What are they about? Do you find that it offers your family a way to connect and grow together? This is a new idea for me! I would love to hear your thoughts on this! I hope you take a moment to share in the comments!
June 6, 2013 @ 4:33 am
I am a HORRID story teller! You are inspiring to me, because my kids ask for me to tell them a story, and all of a sudden my enormous imagination draws a big blank! Maybe we will try an imaginary story character…. although I might have to do some pre-scripting and not tell the kids, just so I don’t run out of ideas!!! Shh – don’t tell!
June 8, 2013 @ 1:18 am
Oh Amy me too! I am really bad at this! I feel like my imagination fails me too! But the girls really love them anyway. I found that trying to use the sights and sounds around me or somewhere we have been helps a lot! I also try to grab a quick moment and stall them when they ask! Then I have a second to gather a few ideas! Good Luck!
June 6, 2013 @ 8:33 pm
I have been telling my kids a story about a hedgehog called Hedgepig for the last 11 years. He still comes out on long journeys and they have added to the story over the years, adding characters and so on. I am sure he has helped create the writers I am parent to!!!
June 8, 2013 @ 1:33 am
Anna that is AWESOME! I love it! My mom used to tell us stories about George the Purple Flying Elephant! We loved it! I really hope that Jane inspires them the way George did us as kids! I imagine that your kids LOVE Hedgepig and will treasure those stories forever! Glad to hear from you!