Personalized Storybooks

One night as I was trying to wander off to sleep, I got an idea to have the kids create their own storybooks.

We do stories and songs everynight before bed and the story time includes everyone making up their own story to tell. I love the opportunity to hear their imaginations come to life and I love being able to use stories from me and Eric's childhood and weave it into their memory. So creating a storyline and putting it down in a book was something I knew they would love.

I had some blank books that I purchased years ago and finally had a reason to use them. The next day we brainstormed ideas for their storybooks. Audra's is Abigail Goes to Grandma's (a story about a girl who goes to Grandma's and has so much fun. When her mom is supposed to pick her up, she can't because she got in a car accident so her Grandma drives her home. They sing songs on the way home and when they arrive back to her Mom's, all is well.)

 

Preston's is David gets Lost (loosely based on his own experience - a story about a boy who goes to Target with his family to pick up a few groceries for dinner and gets lost. He goes to a worker who calls his mother over the loud speaker and him and his family reunite. They get their groceries and come home, make dinner and have a nice picnic dinner out front with the misionaries.)

I helped guide the story a bit but I wanted everything to be authentic to them. Even down to the illustration. I wrote the words of the story and they created the pictures. I had to help Audra some but she colored each page. She is still learning to stay within the lines but I didn't care if it was perfect because I wanted her to feel like the way she did it was perfect. Preston wanted to draw each scene and color it himself.

They really enjoyed creating their own storybooks and feel proud that they made it themselves from beginning to end.