The creative arts have been touching and inspiring humankind since the dawn of time. Heartbreakingly somber music. Delightfully artistic landscapes. Fashion forward statement wardrobes. Vivid & imaginative storytelling.
And this especially rings true in our children’s stories, where whimsical lands and boisterous characters are par for the course. But beyond a fanciful story lies the true magic. The ability to dive into the minds of our children, and meet them in their world. Where imagination meets reality. Where abstract meets concrete. Where emotions meet understanding.
As a children’s author, I’m constantly striving to write stories that bridge that gap between the harshness of adulthood and the dreamy state of childhood to help guide our children through all of the obstacles life is surely to throw their way. When children can see themselves, feel themselves, and relate themselves to our characters is when they hear that these big feelings are ok. It’s when they see that rocky times can be navigated. And when they believe that they too can overcome anything.
To help create those connections, I like to start and end my picture books with prompts. Our beginning prompts are meant to spark their curiosity and interest in the story itself, so that they can truly listen and comprehend what lies ahead. And our ending prompts are meant to build text to self connections, reinforce story lessons and jumpstart conversations of sharing their experiences that relate to these concepts.
Some sample prompts I like to use include:
Was there a time you felt this way??
Do you remember a time where something similar happened to you?
How did you feel when…
What did you like about this character?
What would you do in this situation?
What do you think might happen next?
Here’s to connecting, guiding and sharing the magic of storytelling with our kids.
Thank you to Cheryl at Cover Lover Book Review for inviting me to guest post on her blog. The original post can be found here.