What if the story didn’t stay in the book?

Give one detail a texture

Is the bear settling down to sleep? Let your child tuck it in with a soft cloth. Is someone walking through the forest? Explore the ridges of a large leaf together. Choose one safe, age-appropriate object and let it become part of the scene.

Make a sound worth waiting for

Tap your fingers for rain. Rustle some paper for leaves. Pause before the sound returns — your child might join in, ask for it again or invent a different one. Repeating a favourite moment can become the best part.

Let the story move them

Sway like a tree. Stretch towards the moon. Walk your fingers slowly along an arm like a tiny creature. Follow what catches your child’s attention; you don’t have to reach the last page.

Leave room for their version

Perhaps the bear isn’t sleepy. Perhaps the cloth becomes a boat. Try asking, “What happens now?” For a child who isn’t talking yet, a reach, a gesture or a sound can be their answer.

Try this today: Take a familiar story and bring one moment off the page. Start with a texture, a sound or a movement — then see what your child adds.