I don’t know about your kid, but my daughter has always loved to PLAY. Constantly, all day long, until she drops from exhaustion. From the first moment she could communicate, she started telling me stories, and playing pretend.
For a long time, she’d see little fairies, or trolls, or other weird creatures that would sit on my shoulder, and help me drive our car. She had the most creative little names for these creatures, and would tell me stories, and make me play along (I was a pretty willing participant) with all of their adventures.
After a while, we’d forget the stories, and forget their names, and many of those first creative imaginings were lost… to vague memories that still make me smile, but have honestly lost much of their color and magic. Until… we started capturing these ideas by turning them into Super Kids Books. And now: You Can Too!
(Today, my daughter is 9 years old. She was 7 when she wrote her first book, The 3 Ninja Kitties, and is now a three time #1 Best Selling author, with 3 more books on the way! Click here to check out our step-by-step Super Kids Books Program.)
Do you have a super kid? Of Course You Do!!!
What parent doesn’t think their kid isn’t AMAZING, INCREDIBLE, and a GENIUS?!?
I think it’s your job to “Capture” your child’s creative and wonderful stories. Don’t let them slip-away and die… immortalize them in a book. (At worst, you’ll be able to use it to embarrass them when they are a teenager, or at their wedding.)
Whether or not your child is interested in writing (or if they’re even literate yet), you can encourage them to document their stories and explore what their mind is capable of.
My guess is, you have a special-little-one who is constantly telling you about all of the magic that they see in the world. Probably, they play pretend… and dream up games and characters that wow-you. If so, I’m guessing you have a budding author on your hands!
One of the best things, is that this gives them a sense of ownership and accomplishment, that will build skills and confidence that will serve them for the rest of their life!
After my daughter (8 at the time) received her first book in print, she insisted that she read it to us out loud. Sitting at the kitchen table, she laughed so hard, at her own jokes, and her own story in the book, that we all laughed so hard we cried. It was magic.
This can also do wonders for encouraging them to expand their vocabulary, and read more often.
The following steps can help your child explore their creative side and develop their storytelling talents:
Be Their Biggest Fan
Often, the most important thing for anyone trying to achieve anything (especially something difficult), is to first really “believe” that they can do it. Your job is to support and encourage them, and let them “borrow your belief.”
For a precious few years, your voice is the voice of God. It is the END and the BEGINNING. We parents, have the ability to instill in our kids the belief that they can do ANYTHING.
While it can really help for extended family and friends to cheer them on, many kids could get disappointed, or distracted, or won’t be able to work passionately until they know in their own heart and mind that they have what it takes.If you have a bashful child, or if you’re unsure yourself, that’s okay! Just trust in them, believe in them, and inspire them to get started TODAY!
Here are a couple of “exercises” or “GAMES” you can play:
- Create a story with them. Go back and forth. You each have the chance to tell one part of the story. First pick a topic, or character. Then one of you starts the story. Then, after a sentence or two, they turn it back to you. Or a sibling. Then back to them, and so forth. (If you record this whole story, from start to finish, you may actually have a FIRST-DRAFT of your first book!)
- Encourage them to create a short story. They can start with a pencil or crayon, and draw pictures, or possibly just a few sentences at a time. At first it might be just one picture, or one character. But you can work your way up to a paragraph, or a page, or a series of events for the story. Help them along the way, and be gentle when offering critiques.
- Work on an outline together. Think of it like a story-board. You can help them write down what they want to happen, and then fill-in the details later!
- Ask them what they like most about their favorite stories. Ask them how they could have made it better. Or what other type of animal could have been in the story, and how it could have been different.
- Try word association games, or rhyming games, take their “vocabulary” and “spelling” homework, and turn those words into a story, or play games with funny sentences.
Get A Mentor
As parents, we often have a fantasy that we are the only mentor our child will need… at least until they get to high school.
However, it’s quite likely that they are already in love with Taylor Swift, or some other YouTube personality who has their own little show about Minecraft.
Instead of just boycotting that song from your house (cause it’s driving you nutz), or just having them watch YouTube like some future-couch-potato, challenge them to create their own “thing.” And to “model” their role-model.
Possibly you aren’t as excited about all the stuff that excites your kiddo… so let them be inspired by others. Here at Super Kids Books, we’re in the process of creating a community of young authors who can connect, interact, and inspire each other.
Make It Easy
Look, there are many things in life that are “hard.” Allow this whole process to be fun, and easy (and say OUT LOUD that it’s “fun and easy,” and watch what happens.
The best part is, they CAN’T fail.
The capture their story or idea. They get it down on paper, or record it into your phone. And you immortalize their “art” forever in their own published book! Who cares if it’s a crazy rambling that barely makes sense?!? All the better to embarrass them when they get a bit older, or that you’ll get to pull out at that inevitable wedding-speech that’s going to make everyone laugh, and them turn red on their special day!
Get Started - TODAY!
Don’t wait any longer. You kid is probably more ready than you are.
*If you’d like a simple step-by-step to help you and your kid(s) start writing, and publishing books, click here to learn more about our Super Kids Books program.
To find out more about how "you" can become a Super Kids Book Author, click here: www.superkidsbooks.com/author
