Write an epic original story with your kid and turn it into a physical book and recording that will be a favorite keepsake forever!

This was one of our favorite things to do during the pandemic shut-down when we were cooped up inside. I had to get creative with ways to have fun with my stepdaughter, who was four at the time.

I remembered how much I loved writing my own stories as a child.

kid drawing girls wearing shoes — Here’s an illustration from my own original story, Anna Goes To The Circus. It says “Anna finally put her shoes on.” I’m pretty sure those are supposed to be shoulders… but… you never know! *I was si*x.

We developed a whole process for writing these stories, turning them into a book, then recording her narration and editing together a video — Reading Rainbow style! Man, I loved that show.

These stories brought so much joy to family and friends when we shared them on her “Stories By Aliya” YouTube page!

Here’s how we write stories together:

Notice the hot coffee? The seated position?That’s my kind of activity!

1. Think up a simple story together while writing it down on the notes app.

First, we sit down together. I open the “Notes” app on my phone. We come up with the beginning, middle, and end of a brand new story together.

*NOTE: It helps to keep separating into short paragraphs as you go, putting a space in between where you think there will be a page break.

*Here’s a screenshot from taking notes for one of our very first story collaborations*.

My stepdaughter is seven now and is able to come up with an awesome story completely on her own!

However, when she was younger and new to this, I would guide her a lot more.

For example, I might say “Once upon a time there was a…?”

And she might say, “Alligator!”

So I’d write that down and say, “Oh, that’s great! Okay. Once upon a time, there was an alligator NAMED…?”

“Panda!”

“Okay. Once upon a time there was an alligator named Panda. He liked to…?”

“Go to the grocery store!”

You get the idea. I would just keep repeating the sentence back to her and guiding her to build on to it, by asking her for key words.

The simplest format for writing a story with a kid:

1. Establish and name the main character. (An alligator named Panda).

2. Describe the character a little. Where do they live? What do they like to do? Do they have any important characteristics (grumpy, silly, sleepy, hungry)? (He liked to go to the grocery store).

3. “ONE DAY…” Set the scene. (One day, the alligator went to the grocery store).

4. Introduce a problem that needs to be solved. (Another alligator had knocked all of the groceries off the shelves).

5. Resolve the problem. (The alligators helped each other clean up, became friends, and ate so much they got tummy aches).

6. The End!

7. Come up with a title! Now that you know what the story is about, ask your child, “What do you think the title should be?”

⬇️ Download and print this free template for an easy story-writing format! ⬇️

Write-A-Story-Cheat-Sheet Download

2. Turn your original story into a book!

Here’s what you need:

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1. Construction paper or plain printer paper. (Always useful to have on hand).

2. Pen or markers (for you to write down the words, if kiddo is too young to write).

3. Optional: Printer, Scissors, and Glue Stick, if you want to print, cut, and paste the words to the story into the book, rather than write them down by hand. I’ve started doing this as my stepdaughter’s gotten older and the stories have gotten lengthier.

4. Pencils, crayons, colored pencils, and/or whatever you want to use for the illustrations!

5. Stapler

Gather all of that stuff. Then:

Look at the story you’ve written in your notes app. Count out how many pages it has. Double that amount — that’s how many pieces of paper you’ll need.
Take the stack of paper, fold it in half “hamburger style” and staple them together with three staples at the top of the fold.
Write out (or print, cut, and paste) the words to the story on their respective pages.
Don’t forget a title on the cover — and make sure to write down the author name and date!
Illustrate your story together!
- When my stepdaughter was younger, I used to be more involved in this part of the process. Now, she likes to write all of the words down herself and do most of the illustrations by herself, too. I love that!
- But I will also always LOVE how adult drawings and children drawings look together, side by side. Like these alligators…

*HOT TIP: Give the characters speech bubbles and thought bubbles on each page to enhance your illustrations. These usually end up being my favorite part!

You could stop there, and this will already have been memorable, creative quality time spent together.

OR. If you’re feeling extra. And you have more time on your hands. Take it a step further and…

3. Narrate and record your story!

I loved the show Reading Rainbow growing up. I felt like LeVar Burton was my personal friend. That’s where this next idea came from.

Here’s how to capture the best (and cutest) narration:

1. Open your voice memo app.

2. Record the story*: If your child isn’t yet reading, have them repeat small phrases and sentences after you. You can edit out your voice later in an app like GarageBand.

*Don’t forget to read aloud the speech and thought bubbles from your illustrations in funny character voices!

3. Optional: Edit out your voice with an app like GarageBand.

This might seem daunting if you’ve never done it before. But I promise, with a little practice, it’s not as hard as it seems!

Here is a very brief, non-fancy video tutorial for you of how I quickly edit the narration on my computer.

Don’t have the time or motivation to mess with all of this?

But you still want a really cute narration of your kid’s story with just their voice?

Contact me and I’ll do it for you!

4. Turn Your Story Into a Reading Rainbow-style video masterpiece!

Okay. I know this seems incredibly over-achiever. But, if you know basic editing skills on iMovie, it actually doesn’t take much time at all.

Here’s how I do it:

1. Take photos of each page. Careful take pictures of each page of the story with your phone. Crop them so that there’s nothing in the background.

2. Import the photos into iMovie and make sure they’re in chronological order.

3. Import the audio file of the narration into the iMovie project.

4. Edit photo length to match narration. Drag the photo length out so that each page appears at the correct part in the narration.

5. Play around with zooming in and out. Great for those funny speech bubble moments.

6. Export the project and share with your friends and family!

Again. If this all sounds awesome to you, but you’re not tech savvy or just don’t have the time to fuss with it, connect with me. I would love to help you create a Reading Rainbow-style masterpiece to have forever!

5. If this becomes a favorite tradition for you like it has for us, consider starting a YouTube page to keep track of all your story projects throughout the years.

You can make it unlisted, so that only those with the link are able to view, if you’re concerned about privacy.

Check out Stories By Aliya!

This is just a handful of stories we’ve written together.

Remember: all the extra stuff is super fun. BUT, just taking the time to sit down and think up a story with your child is an incredible, creative use of quality time.

Do you have your own process for making up stories with your kids? Any ideas for simpler or alternative ways people can easily edit audio and visuals for their kids’ stories? Share your ideas with us in the comments!

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Playful Heart Parenting

Hi! I’m Mia.
Mom, stepmom, wife, songwriter, performer, and theater educator.
I love sharing ideas, tips, and templates for connecting with kids through low-to-no budget, waste-free, creative play.

How To Create An Epic Original Story With Your Kid!