One thing I’ve been mulling over lately is one minute bedtime stories.My child especially likes to listen to stories, every night before going to bed has to tell a story, or else it will toss and turn, simply refused to close their eyes.
At first, I was quite patient, holding a picture book and telling it in a serious manner.But as time went on, I found it a bit overwhelming.Especially after a long day at work, when I have to go home and tell stories, it’s really “physically and mentally exhausting”.And those traditional fairy tales, such as “Little Red Riding Hood”, “Big Bad Wolf” and so on, not move ten minutes, halfway through the story I myself fell asleep, but the child is still listening to a lot of interest, and one after another to ask: “Then what?Then what?”
Later I realized that in fact, the child does not need too complex plot, as long as the story is a little warmer, faster-paced, he will be able to quiet down, slowly fall asleep.So I began to try to make up some of their own one minute bedtime stories, time control in a minute or so to finish, the effect is surprisingly good.
The following story is one of my favorites to tell him:
In a forest, there lived a little bird and a little bear.They were good friends.The bird liked to sing in the trees, and the bear sat under the trees and listened.Sometimes he would even take a nap in a hole in the tree.
When winter came, the bird had to fly away to a warm place to spend the winter, and the bear had to start hibernating.Before they left, they promised to meet under the tree again next spring.
But the next spring, when the bird flew back, he found that the tree was gone, and the bear was sitting alone on the stump, crying.The bird flew over to him and asked, “Where did our tree go?”
The bear said sadly, “The tree was cut down by the lumberjacks.”
The bird reassured him, “It’s all right, as long as the roots of the tree are still there, it will grow new shoots one day.”
Sure enough, they found a tiny shoot next to the stump.But now there was no more big tree, so where should the little bird go to sing?
The little bear thought about it and had an idea.He stood up on the stump and pretended he was a big tree.The bird stood on “the tree” and sang.As the song started, the bear swayed happily along.
Soon they called other animal friends and had a concert together in the forest.Everyone danced and sang, and the atmosphere was very lively.
Winter came again and the birds had to leave again.They agreed again to meet again next spring.This time, when the little bird came back, she saw that a little sapling had grown up beside the little bear.The little bird was able to go back to the tree and sing again, and they began to live happily again.
**Summary
I think this kind of “one minute bedtime stories” is really good for putting children to bed.It doesn’t need to be wonderful, nor does it need to have any profound truth, as long as it is a little cozy and relaxing, it can slowly calm down the child.
For a dad like me, who is busy with work during the day and still has to be with his kids at night, this little method is a lifesaver.If you also have a little baby, you can also try, maybe than you read half an hour of fairy tale books work!
In short, storytelling is not about length, but about whether it can make children feel love and warmth.Even if it’s only a minute, as long as you tell it with all your heart, it can be the beginning of your child’s sweet dreams.
