Storytime at bedtime is a ritual that many families participate in. Storytelling helps to relax kids and wind them down to be able to sleep at night. Studies have shown there are many benefits of storytelling for kids. As a busy working mom, it is also a special time where I can focus my attention and connect with my kids at the end of the day to better understand what they need and give them undivided attention and love. In fact, my book Saving the Earth Stone was born from a very successful and magickal bedtime story with my oldest daughter. She went through a phase around the age of 4 where she didn’t want to read books anymore but would ask us to tell her a story. It is something she still prefers most nights!
What I Learned Through the Storytelling Process
Shifting from reading books to storytelling at bedtime was pretty uncomfortable at first. I was self-conscious and unsure of myself and struggled to come up with ideas. Believe me, not all of my stories are winners! Through this discomfort I learned that storytelling is actually a magickal and joy-filled activity to share with my kids! It taught me so many lessons about myself and has taught my daughter many lessons in return. While there are many, the main lessons I learned are:
- Be a Model for your Kids: Model the behavior and qualities you want your kids to learn, no matter how uncomfortable. I want my girls to be brave, strong, confident and believe in themselves no matter what the world tells them. For them to do this, they need to see me doing the same. Bedtime stories may seem like a small place to start, but they truly helped me to grow into a better model for my kids.
- Creativity & Silliness Feeds the Soul: There is a reason the arts are important, as they truly feed the soul. Kids don’t want to be serious, and adults are just big kids who have been conditioned into thinking we need to be serious to be responsible. By dedicating 10-15 minutes to storytelling at bedtime in a creative and silly way, we were able to truly make a soul connection that is restorative to both of us.
- Storytelling is a Great Way to Teach: I am not only using storytelling to be goofy and have fun, but also as a way to teach my kids lessons. If I know my daughter needs to learn how to cooperate with a friend, I can create characters that help teach that lesson. If I want her to know more about her family, ancestors, or heritage, I can tell stories using real-life characters to help her get to know them better. She is learning so much about who she is and who she wants to be by listening to these stories!
Tips for Telling a Magickal Bedtime Story
- Determine the intent of the story by asking yourself the following questions
- What lesson does your child need to hear?
- What have they been struggling with lately?
- What do I need them to know?
- Is there a value or characteristic you hope they embody (bravery, confidence, etc.)?
- Is there a real-world event going on that is hard to explain that they need to understand (racism, violence, covid, global warming, etc.)?
- Create a character and landscape
- Do they like stories about kids?
- Do they like magickal creatures (unicorns, fairies, dragons, mermaids)?
- Do they like a specific sport or activity?
- Tell the story that ends in a lesson
- Once you have the intent and the characters, get creative and weave a story or tale that allows for a moral or lesson to be learned. Some stories can accomplish this in a short timeframe while others may span over multiple bedtimes. Experiment on how this works best of you and your child.
- Experiment and HAVE FUN
- Play around with different lead in phrases (‘Once upon a time…’, ‘There once was…’, etc.), characters (magickal, relatives, animals, etc.), and settings until you find the things that work best for you and your kids. The more you practice, the easier it will be and better you will get!