For Parents of Little Ones

When you say, “Story time!” does your little one come running to hear a good book? Reading is a great way to teach children. So is telling true stories, using your own memories instead of pages.

Telling family stories helps children feel loved and secure. It shows them that you’ve been their age and can empathize. Most of all, family stories show meaning in life, preparing children to navigate their own unfolding stories with confidence.

Here are some more ways you can use stories to engage your little ones:

Tell stories by decorating a Christmas memory tree, like Joel and his family did (see page FJ2).
Tell true stories while cleaning up, sitting around a fire, or riding in the car.
Tell a bedtime story about your child’s day. This will show your little one you noticed what was important to him or her.
This Christmas season, gather around the tree and say, “Once upon a time, when I was little …” or, “Once upon a time, when you were a baby. …”