Story-telling

One of the things I like to do with Jay and Rose is make up little stories to tell them. Often at bedtime, I make up a short silly story to tell before I say goodnight and close the door. They have two favorites: The Cousin Story and the Hiding Story. I keep the main plot the same and change/embellish the details around every time I tell them. I wrote the stories down more for myself and “the record.” They are interspersed them with kid pictures so there’s something to look at if you’re not in a reading mood.

THE COUSIN STORY (the latest version)
Once upon a time there was a little boy named Jay and a little girl named Rose. Jay and Rose wanted to play with their cousins, but little baby Laynie was still too small to play. So Jay and Rose went to the airport, got on an airplane, and flew allllll the way to Missouri and went to Steve’s and Dan’s house. They played on the Wii, they jumped on the trampoline, and they wrestled. Then they had chicken nuggets for dinner and watched a movie. That night they had a sleepover! The next morning, Jay and Rose gave Steve and Dan big hugs, went to the airport, got back on the airplane, and flew allllllllll the way back home to Washington.
The End.

[she fell asleep while hiding one day]

The Hiding Story
Once upon a time there was a little boy named Jay. Jay wanted to play with his sister Rose, but he couldn’t find her anywhere. So he looked and looked for her. He looked under the table, he looked behind Mommy’s chair, he looked in the laundry room, he looked in the trash, he looked in the fridge, he looked in the bathtub, he looked in the pantry, and he even looked in the potty, but he couldn’t find Rose anywhere! Finally, Jay looked in the toy box and he found Rose hiding there! Then they played and played together happily and had lots of fun.
The End.

Jay LOVES these stories! He laughs so hard when I think of yucky, impossible places for Rose to hide. He hangs off of every word about what he does while playing with his cousins. Yesterday I finished my run at the park, and I let Jay and Rose play for a while. When it was time to leave, we had a mile to walk home with the stroller, and I was feeling tired. Luckily Jay came to the rescue and asked me, “Mommy, can you tell me a story about a(insert noun)?” So I invented miniscule stories right and left and he and Rose listened intently the whole time. Before I knew it, we were almost home! It was a perfect distraction for all of us.

Here are two products of yesterday’s story-walk:

The Story About Jasen’s Truck
Once upon a time there was a guy named Jasen. He had a truck. He loved his truck so much that he drove it everywhere. He drove it around Grandview, he drove it across the grass, he drove it at the farm, and he drove it in the fields. One day a wheel fell off of the truck and rolled away! Jasen had to run very very fast to catch the wheel. Finally he got it and put it back onto his truck. He parked his truck, went inside, and had spaghetti for lunch.
The End.

The Story About the Car
Once upon a time there was a dog named Toby. Toby really wanted to drive a car, but he didn’t have any hands to hold the steering wheel, and his feet couldn’t reach the gas pedal. So Toby got his friend Zeke to help him. Zeke laid down low and pushed the pedals while Toby steered the car with his paws. They drove all over the place with the windows down.
The End.

My impromptu stories got shorter and shorter and dumber and dumber until finally I asked Jay to tell ME a story.

Jay’s Story About A Flag
“Once upon a time there was a flag named Rach-o [made up word]. He wanted to chase a dog. So he ran and ran and ran. Finally he caught it. The End.”

Then Jay re-told me a few of my own silly stories while we walked. His memory is astounding! He has always been able to “read” our books from memory, but I was surprised that he did so well just telling a story that he’d heard once, without any pictures to help him along. He loves it when there’s something unusual or goofy like dogs driving cars or Rose hiding in the fridge. I love the story game!! Last night, Jay told his best story yet. I think at one point I told this story to him, but it’s been weeks since I told it, so I’ll give the credit to him for it:

The End.