How to Turn Your Child's Drawing Into a Bedtime Story
Every drawing of a creature comes with a story your child hasn't told you yet. Where does it live? What does it eat? Why does it only have one ear? Ask, and you'll usually find the answers were ready and waiting.
Turn those answers into a bedtime story and something lovely happens: your child becomes the author of the book you read at night. Here's a simple way to do it, with questions that get the story going, a structure that works for any age, and a way to make a real little book out of it.
The short version: pick a drawing your child loves, ask it questions together (name, home, food, what it wants), shape the answers into a simple story where the creature wants something, tries three times and succeeds, then write it down in a folded paper book with the drawing on the cover. Read it at bedtime, and let your child add a new page whenever they like.
Why turn a drawing into a bedtime story?
Because reading together matters, and a story your child helped write is one they'll ask for again and again. A 2019 study from Ohio State University estimated that children who are read one book a day hear around 290,000 more words by age five than children who aren't read to, and those read five books a day hear about 1.4 million more (Ohio State University).
A homemade story adds something no bought book can: the main character is their idea, and they're the expert on it. That's a powerful feeling at four, and still a pretty good one at nine.
How do you get the story out of the drawing?
Interview the creature. Sit with the drawing and ask your child questions, then write down their answers exactly as they say them. These work well:
- What's its name?
- Where does it live? What's its home like?
- What does it eat? What does it refuse to eat?
- Why does it look like that? (Why seven legs? Why one ear?)
- Who are its friends? Is anyone scared of it?
- What does it want more than anything?
- What's the one thing it's afraid of?
The last two questions are where the story lives. A creature that wants something and is afraid of something already has a plot.
What is a simple story structure for kids?
You don't need a writing course. This five-step shape works for almost every bedtime story:
- Meet the creature. Its name, where it lives, one odd thing about it.
- It wants something. A friend, a snack, to see the sea, to find its lost ear.
- It tries, and it doesn't work. Twice. Kids love the repetition.
- The third try works, often because of the odd thing about it. Seven legs turn out to be very useful for climbing.
- A calm ending. Back home, tired, happy, asleep. It's a bedtime story, after all.
For younger children, keep it to a sentence or two per step. Older children can add a second character, a twist or a sequel.
How do you make it into a real little book?
- Fold three or four sheets of paper in half and staple or stitch the spine.
- Glue a copy of the drawing on the cover, or have your child draw it again.
- Write one step of the story per page, and leave space for new drawings.
- Add "by" and your child's name on the cover. This part matters more than you'd think.
- Keep a blank page at the back for the next adventure.
Want something sturdier? Photograph the pages and print them as a small photo book. Our guide to what to do with kids' artwork covers photographing drawings so they print well, and a printed copy makes one of the best gifts made from kids' artwork for a grandparent.
Can you make the creature look real for the cover?
You can, and children tend to love it. With our Crayon to Creature you photograph the drawing and get back a photo of the real animal, with every extra leg and wonky ear kept, which makes a striking cover next to the original. Full disclosure, it's ours. Here's how it works.
Need a fresh creature to start with? Try the imaginary animal prompts in our list of drawing ideas for kids. Making the book is also a calm way to finish one of our rainy day activities.
Want a cover that stops them mid-yawn? See their creature as a real animal, drawn exactly as they imagined it.
Frequently asked questions
How do I make up a bedtime story from my child's drawing?
Ask your child questions about the drawing, such as its name, home, food and what it wants most, and write down their answers. Then shape them into a simple story: the creature wants something, tries twice and fails, succeeds the third time, and goes happily to sleep.
What age is this good for?
From about three, when children start telling you what their drawings are, up to nine or ten. Younger children enjoy answering questions and hearing the story. Older children can write it themselves and add twists, sequels and new characters.
How long should a bedtime story be?
Short enough to finish before eyelids drop: five to ten minutes for young children. The five-step structure keeps it tight, with one or two sentences per step for little ones and a little more for older kids.
Why is reading to children every day important?
Daily reading builds vocabulary quickly. A 2019 Ohio State study estimated children read one book a day hear about 290,000 more words by age five than children who aren't read to. Stories they helped create make that daily habit even easier to keep.
Tonight, pick a drawing off the fridge and ask it what it wants. You might be reading the answer for years.