Try this fun activity for the whole family – round robin storytelling. One person starts the story by saying a sentence or two and each person afterwards takes a turn to add another sentence or two one by one. The first time you try this it is a good idea to have an adult start the story and another adult to be the first to add to it. This will help the children see how it is done.  If  young children are doing the activity, if needed, you can give them question prompts like “What might happen next?” “How did the characters feel?” “Was there an animal involved?”

Storytelling can be a useful parenting tool in a couple of ways …

• If there is something you want your children to learn from the story, weave it in when it is your turn. For example, have the main person in the story fail at something and not give up or do something very kind for someone else in the story.

• Listen for what your children add. It is a window to what they are thinking or feeling. Perhaps they will add aggressive actions, have characters be angry or afraid, add jokes to the story, or make their additions be about something they wish they could do. You can use what you learn to have interesting and important conversations with your kids at other times, not related to the story.

Inspired by MR. ZINGER’S HAT. Read the book to your children as  a reminder of  this fun activity together.