Recently I’ve been trying a little thing at home that I didn’t expect to be particularly rewarding – telling my baby a personalized bedtime story just for him every night .
In the beginning, it was really because there was nothing else I could do.In the past, I used to find a picture book to read, or read a short story on my cell phone, and my baby would get sleepy.But lately, for some reason, these “generic” stories seem to have suddenly failed.I just read a few sentences, he tossed and turned impatiently, and sometimes even opened his eyes and asked me: “Then what?It’s not good.”
As an old father, I was in a hurry.It can’t be like a play every night, can it?But then I slowly realized that if I weave his experiences, interests and ideas into the story, he would listen especially attentively, and even take the initiative to ask questions and interact with me before he finally fell asleep at ease.
Why don’t generic stories work anymore?
It may be because children nowadays are exposed to too much information.Cartoons, short videos, all kinds of audio programs …… They have become numb to repetitive content.Generic fairy tales are like background sounds to them and don’t attract attention at all.
So I started to try to tell some “personalized bedtime Story” – stories that are specifically for him to listen to.For example, if he built a tall tower of blocks in the nursery today, then the main character of the story at night could be “the baby himself”, who built a castle in the forest with blocks and lived in it with the little animals, defeating the bad guys and monsters.
And guess what?When he hears his name in the story, he is immediately energized, his eyes are round, afraid to miss a word.He would giggle at the funny parts, and when he was done, he would say, “Daddy, I want to hear this story again tomorrow!”
Since then, I have found my way: not to tell stories, but to create “his stories”.
Story 1: The Little Raccoon Who Followed the Creek on its Journey
One night, a cute little raccoon came to a stream in the forest.He held a few red fruits in his hand and ate them while he put his paws in the water and washed them.
After washing his feet, the little raccoon looked at the clear brook in front of him and couldn’t help asking, “Brook, brook, where are you going when you keep flowing forward?”
The brook clattered and replied, “I keep flowing forward, I’m going to find my good friend.”
“Who is your good friend?”The raccoon asked curiously.
So the little raccoon decided to follow the brook and see where it was going.
He followed the brook all the way out of the big forest and found another brook joining the stream in front of him.The two streams joined together and became a wider stream.
The little raccoon was a little tired, so he swam in the creek to wash the sweat off his body.He asked the water again, “Are you going to find your best friend too?”
The little river water said happily, “Yes, we are going to find good friends too!”
The little raccoon continued on his way and saw several small rivers joining into a bigger river.There were also ships running on the river!
The little raccoon asked the river, “Who are the friends you are looking for?”
The river said loudly, “Our friend is the sea!We are going to meet together in the ocean!”
At this point, the little raccoon realized that so many small streams flow together and eventually become a vast ocean.
This story tells us: no matter it is a drop of water, a small stream, or a big river, as long as we all unite together, we can become very powerful.
Story 2: The Bear Who Could Read Wishes
A long time ago, there was a little bear who had a special ability – he could see the shadows of animals.
One morning, the bear woke up and rubbed his eyes, and suddenly realized that the shadows of his friends were all different.For example, the tiger cub’s shadow looked like a bicycle, the elephant cub’s shadow looked like a cake, and the giraffe’s shadow looked like a house.
The bear wondered why their shadows had changed.He secretly asked the other animals, and everyone said their shadows looked the same.
Later, the bear realized that those shadows were actually what the animals wanted most in their hearts.In other words, the shadows actually represented their wishes.
From that day on, the bear made up his mind to help all the animals realize their wishes.Every time he fulfills a wish, the shadow of that animal will change back to its original form.
Slowly, Little Bear became the most popular bear in the forest.However, one day he met an animal called Little Squirrel, whose wish was a little different.
Instead of food or toys, Little Squirrel’s wish was to draw a strange figure.Bear couldn’t read it, so he played with her every day, stomping on fruit, building houses, and playing hide-and-seek together.
They spent the summer and fall together.The weather was getting colder and colder, and the bear knew that winter was coming, and he had to get ready to hibernate.
Before he went to sleep, the bear gathered his courage and confessed to the squirrel, “Can you wait for me to wake up?I like you.”
The little squirrel happily jumped into his arms and whispered, “I do.”
Bear gave her a handmade twig necklace.He saw the little squirrel’s shadow slowly return to its original form.
At this moment, Little Bear finally understood Little Squirrel’s wish – it turned out to be for someone to love her truly.
Story 3: The Little Monkey in Search of a True Friend
Lanlan, the monkey, was a lively and lovely child, but he always felt that he lacked a real friend.He went home sadly and told his mom, “I want to make a real good friend.”
Mom said gently, “If you treat others with all your heart, they will treat you as a friend too.”
Lanlan nodded, packed his clothes, and went into the forest to look for a friend.
He met many little animals in the forest, including bunnies, birds, and little monkeys who were as naughty as he was.They all played and talked together.
When it was Lanlan’s turn to speak, he said shyly, “I want to be friends with you!”Before he could finish his sentence, everyone circled around him and laughed heartily.
Lanlan shared the fruit he had brought with him, and they sang and danced happily in the trees.
When he got home, Lanlan wrote a letter to tell his mom that he had found a real friend.Mom got the letter and moved to the forest too.
Lanlan invited all his friends to his new home to celebrate and everyone had a great time.
This story tells us: If you treat others sincerely, they will like you and accept you too.
Story 4: The New Home of the Little Crab
The little crab lived in the ocean, but life there was not safe.Once, when he was eating, he was suddenly pounced by a big octopus!
Luckily, the little crab was quick and dodged the attack.He rushed to escape behind a big rock and gasped, “That was close, I almost got eaten!”
He thought to himself, “If only I had a house that could protect me too.”
So the little crab climbed ashore to find a house he could borrow.
He saw Grandpa Turtle sunbathing, so he ran to him and asked, “Grandpa Turtle, can I borrow your house for a few days?”
Grandpa Turtle said slowly, “No, our house is born, we can’t take it down.”
The little crab walked away disappointed, and suddenly saw a beautiful shell on the beach.He dug in and tried it out, and it was just the right size!
From then on, the little crab carried this shell on his back everywhere.He told everyone, “I have my own house!”
The little crab went from an ordinary crab to a hermit crab that can move.
This story tells us that when we encounter difficulties, we can use our brains to find our own solutions.
Story 5: The Little Swan Who Flys Bravely
The mother swan laid many eggs and hatched a group of cute little swans.
She said to the children, “We are migratory birds, we have to learn to fly and be excellent travelers in the future!”
So the little swans began to practice flying hard.Gradually, they all learned to fly and could fly to the south for the winter.
But once, a few of the swans were caught by hunters and sold to a farm.
Life on the farm was easy, with food and drink.Some of the house swans advised them, “Stop practicing and live here in peace.”
But the swans didn’t give up and still kept practicing swimming and flying.
When the farmer found out, he chained them up.But the little swans didn’t give in and struggled desperately, and finally escaped.
They chased and chased and finally caught up with their mother and other siblings.
Mother swan said happily: “You are great, by your own efforts, you are already a real traveler!”
From then on, the swans flew far away together and lived freely.
This story tells us: don’t give up your dream even if you encounter difficulties, as long as you persist, you will surely succeed.
Story 6: The Bird Who Learned to Make Friends
The little bird usually didn’t like to play with other animals very much and always moved around by herself.
One day, the little bird was sick and was lying in bed, feeling especially lonely.He thought, “It would be nice if I had a friend to visit me.”But then immediately dismissed the thought, “I don’t usually play with them, who would come to see me?”
Seeing her son’s mood, his mother took the initiative to help gather the bird’s friends to visit him.
When Birdie heard the laughter of his friends, he looked up in surprise and realized that it really was everyone who had come!
The friends sang for him, and Birdie was so touched that he got much better.
After that, the bird started to play with everyone and made many good friends.
This story tells us: Don’t be afraid of being alone, as long as you are willing to take the first step, there will be friends waiting for you around.
Conclusion: Let every night be accompanied by a story
Telling a bedtime story is a small thing, but the impact it has is far-reaching.A well-designed personalized bedtime story will not only help your child sleep soundly, but also nourish their minds and shape their personality.
May both you and your child find joy in stories and meet beauty in dreams.
