Children's Stories
Art by Jacob Maris
Stories to Nurture Children's Moral Imagination
For thousands of years, parents have been telling their children story to shape their character, helping them to know what to love and what to hate. Children and adults learn best through stories.
When my children were young, I was dissatisfied with many children's books , and I began making up stories for them at bedtime. Before beginning, I would think about what character trait my child needed to learn or to combat. I would then craft a story around that trait. In addition to being a great way to bond with my kids, I also found them far more receptive to the lessons I communicated through story than the scoldings or "lectures" I would deliver in the course of the day.
I made up about 2,000 stories for my children, and I recorded some 200. Below are a few of those stories. If people find them helpful, I will post more.
Beside the name of each story are the issues that it covers -- these are listed for the benefit of the parents. I also note whether the stories are sad, violent, or deal with death, as well as the length of each story. Some stories may make your child cry; you will need to decide which stories are appropriate for your child, depending on their age and temperament. If you prefer to read them to your child, you may click on the "musical note" icon next to each story to read the story yourself.
Although the stories are copyrighted, they are free to be shared with others at no cost.