Woohoo! Your kids are storytellers! Let them know that they just told a story, and praise them for their imaginative ideas. As they talk about their pictures, they are telling a story, giving you information about main characters, setting, and story plot. Let your children guide this conversation, and respond to what they say. What is the character doing right now? Why? What do you think will happen next?.Where is this? or Where is 'character's name' right now?.Encourage them to tell you about their pictures. Talk to your children about their drawings.Īsk questions. You can follow this basic process to help your child recognize that his/her drawing is a story, and that he/she is a natural-born storyteller.ġ. I want him (and all children!) to know they have something to say. Until that day comes, I want to inspire his creativity and affirm for him that he is a storyteller. The writer in me hopes that one day my son will fall in love with the act of putting pen to paper. However, when you enjoy the story along with the illustrations, the story is made complete. If you were to simply listen to a reading of the book, you'd no doubt hear a great story. Don't believe me? Pick up a copy of Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann or Mark Teague's Dear Mrs. There is so much information within an illustration. The pictures that our children draw contain so much meaning. As he draws, what he may not realize is that he is telling a story. However, if I ask my son to draw a picture, he immediately puts crayon to paper and begins to unleash his ideas. 'What do I write about?' 'What if I can't spell something?' 'How many sentences make a story?' When I ask my 6-year-old son to write, generally a small groan will escape his lips. More often than not, they're stressing about letter formation and proper spelling. When most children set out to write, they aren't thinking about sharing their ideas and stories. And yet, our children approach a blank page with trepidation - certain they have nothing to say. The depth of their imaginations never ceases to amaze me. When I was a classroom teacher, at least once a day, I had a student tell me, 'I have nothing to write about!' My students were unaware of the incredible natural resource they possessed: their boundless creativity.

Draw a story game