One of our favorite parts of the day in our house is creative bedtime stories. Most parents know the struggles of their child requesting just one more story before bed, just this once, that somehow snowballs into eventually having to read multiple books a night. In an effort to stop the bedtime procrastination we have opted for a more unorthodox approach. Book time was moved up in our evening to a separate activity from the bedtime routine. So we are able to read and re-read favorite books to his hearts content without having to be crunched for time. But we can’t completely abandon bedtime stories; once bedtime rolls around, and he’s tucked in and snuggled up with his favorite stuffed animal the fun begins.
I will make up a fun little bedtime story for him, often with him suggesting characters and activities for them to do. Once I’ve finished it’s his turn, and it’s such a joy to see his creativity boom and the stores he comes up with. Sometimes stores are based on what he’s done that day, other stores we’ve read, or him thinking up something so silly he can hardly get a word out between giggles. What started out as a way to make bedtime easier has turned into a fun family tradition we’ll continue for years to come.
