Step-by-Step Tips for Creating Stories
Photos from sources linked below.
Writing your first story is fun, challenging, and tremendously rewarding. Kids are naturally creative and it doesn't take much to get the ideas flowing - the key is to guide them in putting down those ideas as a story. This week, we take a look at how to approach this. Whether your medium is pens and paper, a tablet, or a computer, read on to begin writing!
1. Ideas
The first place to start is with a basic idea. This can be any kind of situation you've experienced or imagined. You could ask your child to think of the most fun they've ever had, what happened last Christmas, what they dreamt last night, or what would happen in an episode of their favourite TV show if they could write it. The key here is to stir the imagination and have events to draw on later.
2. Characters
Ask your child who is going to be in the story. Who is the main character? How old are they? Maybe the character could be the child themselves, their favourite Superhero or film character, somebody they know, or somebody entirely imaginary.
3. Beginning
Now we start the story itself. How does it begin? Ask your child where the main character is and if there's anything special happening. For example, if the main character was a cat, the story could begin by the cat snoozing on a garden fence on a hot, sunny day. You can draw on the ideas you thought of in step 1 for this step.
4. Conflict
This is how a story develops. It's when things go wrong or there's a problem for the main character. You could show your child how this happens in their favourite stories. Other characters can be introduced here - maybe it's them who are creating the problem for our main character! Our cat keeps getting woken up from his afternoon nap by birds singing in a nearby tree.
5. Turning point
Now the story gets interesting. This is when something unexpected happens. Let imagination run wild here - maybe our cat grows huge muscles suddenly and picks up the tree and carries it somewhere far away.
6. Resolution
Now the conflict in step 4 is resolved. The cat returns to the fence and can now sleep peacefully.
7. The end.
What will happen to our characters now the story is over? This is where we say whether they live happily ever after. We leave the characters here to continue on without us. You might also introduce a surprise ending here. Our cat suddenly gets startled awake again - turns out he only dreamt about lifting the tree! But this time he is woken up by his owner calling him inside for dinner (which is a happy ending for this cat!).
There are many ways to approach a story and the rough outline above is just one way to get started. Of course, the point of this activity is to enjoy creativity, so whatever happens, have fun!
Sources
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A Step-by-Step Guide to Helping Your Child Write a Story
Help a Child Write a Story
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