It’s bedtime, and your kids want a bedtime story. You probably know the rest. Or maybe your child is awake again, and you need to get them back to sleep!
When my babies have woken up in the middle of the night, they always want to hear a story to help them relax and fall back asleep. I don’t want to turn on a light and nothing comes to mind. If I don’t start spouting a tale soon, my kid will get agitated.
So I’ve come up with a few prompts to help you get started: my goal here is to help you create your own amazing, imaginative stories for your child! These are the bedtime tales which your kids will remember long after that sleepless night.
- Think of the stars, the wise stars. They burn bright in the silent sky, shining for years and years. Now I want you to close your eyes and imagine the most beautiful star in the universe. This is the North Star.
- Henry the Elephant didn’t like being the smallest elephant in the herd. He especially didn’t like being the smallest elephant because his father was the leader of the herd. And while he tried to stay out of the way, Henry snuck off every day after breakfast to a quiet part of the jungle. No one knew where he went, or what he did. But one thing was for sure: Henry was hiding something.
- Steve was the mayor of Water Falls. He loved his job, though he wasn’t particularly good at anything. But one thing was certain, he loved his people and his town. And that’s why everyone ran to him first on the day that the waterfall ran dry.
- Out of all the birds in the forest, Teeny was the most beautiful. Her feathers shone in the sun with every color of the rainbow, and her voice was sweet as honey. The other birds flocked to her wherever she went, longing to see her feathers and hear her song. But there was one problem: Teeny hated to sing.
- Charlie did not want to go to sleep. His mother told him that he needed to rest. His father told him that sleep would make him strong. But Charlie had decided he was never going to sleep… ever again.
Of course you can change out any name to the name of your child, pet, etc.
I would also advise against asking questions in your stories, since it encourages your child to stay awake and answer you!
Does your child have a favorite bedtime story? Do you have one which you hold dear from your own childhood? Tell me about it in the comments!
I want to know what Henry was hiding! Some great ideas for prompts. I always tend to start with someone in the family and what they’ve been doing, then branch off.
Oh that’s a good idea! And I thought about telling everyone what our Henry is hiding, but then I wonder if it’s better to keep it a secret? 🙂 Thanks for reading!