Bedtime stories are a staple of fatherhood. Telling stories is something that absolutely must be in your Swiss Army Knife of fatherhood. How can you consider yourself the Ultimate Dad if you can’t bust out a killer story as you are tucking your children into bed each night?
Your first reaction might be, “I don’t know any good stories.” But amazing dads like yourself cannot let that stand in their way! After all, story time is a staple of childhood. Think of all the good times you would miss out on with your young child. What better way is there to spend quality time with your children at the dinner table or lying in bed at night and telling stories that captivate their little minds? Simply put, this is a great way for father figures to bond with their children and create memories that will last a long time.
My family and I were browsing for something to watch for our movie night, and we realized that we had never seen Adam Sandler’s Bedtime Stories. Skeeter Bronson, Sandler’s character, is tasked with the responsibility of caring for his niece and nephew while their mother is away. Each night he tells a bedtime story during which the children add to the details of the story. As happens only in Hollywood, the story comes true the next day. The movie was decent, but, after watching it, I realized that my storytelling skills could use a little sharpening. Fairy tales are fun and all, but in my quest to become an amazing dad, I realized I need to come up with my own special story tailored just for my kids. In the end, I settled on these 7 storytelling techniques.
1. Use the fundamental concepts of any story
So what makes a good bedtime story? Well, it is pretty simple. Think back to your days in the classrooms of your elementary schools and remember that all stories have four basic concepts – an introduction, problem, climax, and resolution. You don’t have to have the creativity of Mark Twain to create your own stories. The most important thing is to start with the conflict and resolution concept. At this point you already have the framework for an interesting story. Now all you have to do is add characters and make it fun.
2. Make the Characters Fun
How can you make your stories better? One way is to introduce good characters. Introduce characters that change as the story goes on. This is called a dynamic character. Changes can come in the form of developing superpowers, overcoming a fear, solving a problem, or finally being able to perform a certain task.
A popular tactic with my children is to create a main character that is obviously contains aspects of their own lives – similar personality traits, hair colors, interests, physical appearance, or even any aspect of your family life – but with a heroic twist. Sometimes they are set in the old west and known as the Troublesome Two. Sometimes they are superheroes named Frogman and Lord Tadpole. There are no right or wrong answers. Just come up with something fun. The more outlandish the better. Incorporating your little girl into the story in some way gives her a feeling that she is indeed one of the characters saving the day in her daddy’s stories.
3. Include things going on in their lives
Draw in the attention of your own children by including something that is going on in his or her own life. If the first day of school is coming up, let your main character face some of the difficult things that your own child will be facing at the beginning of the school year. But it does not always have to be a challenge. It can also be fun. Perhaps there is some popular culture icon that your young girl idolizes. The plot of your story could begin with her going to a concert for the first time only to realize it becomes her big chance to get to go on stage and rock out to her favorite tune with Taylor Swift, then go backstage and share some ice cream with her. Anything that is happening in their own lives will help little children relate to the story in ways that another main character would not.
4. Plot Twists
One of my more powerful tools to keep the children invested in the story is through plot twists. This is the sign of a great storyteller! First, I like to introduce a problem and let the protagonists work toward resolving that problem. This problem can be saving their mom and dad from bandits, trying to stop a runaway train, or keeping an asteroid from crashing into their house. You can even let it be something silly like taking your dog for a walk only for him to get loose and run into a funeral home and wreak havoc. For a young child, sometimes the more outrageous the better! Your imagination is the limit. Using a tactic from the movies, make the resolution to this problem be very clear. Let the heroes of your story nearly solve the problem, but then introduce a plot twist that would keep the good guys from saving the day. This is also a good opportunity for your characters to become dynamic. For example, if your characters are about to destroy the asteroid before it enters the atmosphere, let your spaceship run out of fuel at the last second. This could be the time where the hero learns that he has the ability to fly. These plot twists not only keep your children’s attention through the whole story, but it also sets up an intense climax.
5. Get Their Input
This is self-explanatory. Getting your children’s input is a great way to let them exercise their imagination. With the plot twists that they will throw in, it will also cause you to exercise your imagination as well. The important part here is to tie this into the overall storyline that you have created with the main character and his problem that must be solved. This may be a challenge, but it will keep your child’s interest piqued!
6. Save the Day!
Saving the day is the best part. Bring all of the action to a climax by solving the overarching crisis. This is the final showdown where the bad guy is finally defeated, the princess is saved, or the heroes get through the portal back into a better place such as their living room. To get the kids more involved, this is a great place to get their input. Ask them what ideas they have to help save the day. Incorporate these ideas no matter how outlandish they can be. Not only will it make the story more entertaining, but it will also expand their imagination and it is a great bonding experience.
7. Wrap it up
Lastly, bring it all to a conclusion. The end of the story can be as simple as “…and they all lived happily ever after.” It can also give a recap as to what happens to the characters after the story ends. Another option is an abrupt ending that can give the children an opportunity to draw their own conclusions as to what happens to the characters later. In our house, we have a few overarching story lines. Your resolution can then be used to introduce a sequel to the next story! Just get a feel for what your kiddos like for their stories to end and try to center your resolutions around something they would enjoy.
Don’t deprive your children of this classic because you “can’t think of a good story.” It is no more difficult than putting pieces into the introduction, plot, climax, and resolution puzzle. It can be as basic or as elaborate as you want. Your children may not realize it at the time, but they will appreciate your making the effort of crafting a story from scratch just for them. They’ll love you for just spending the time with them before bed each night. Family stories like this are a great way for you to demonstrate that you want them to see you as the loving dad that you truly are. Don’t be intimidated by telling a good story because you are not that creative. You got this. Go be the Ultimate Dad tonight.