Dad and Mom, have you thought about making up silly stories with your kids and extended family – just for a memory-making laugh?

This post is part of my ongoing Unplugged Series to help family members get their faces out of a tech device and start communicating face to face.

No Non-cents Nanna followers and MalikaBourne.com followers are getting a sneak peak into my upcoming books Family Fun Unplugged: Creative Games for All Ages to be published in mid February 2025.

Also coming to YouTube mid-February will be Malika Bourne’s video series The Unplugged Family.

 

Creating Your Own Storybook

• Gather the children – teens can do this activity, too.
• collect some colored pencils,
• paper, and a few craft supplies
• let the storytelling begin.

Decades ago when my oldest two children were about 5 and 7 years old I had a wickedly sprained ankle. To keep those two out of trouble while my foot was propped high on pillows, I decided we could make up some stories. Forty-five years later, those tattered pieces of notebook paper complete with crayon drawings will finally come to life in 2025 in my Children’s story books.

One of our collaborated stories was about a monkey named Jonathan Jellybean, who turned colors.

 

 

My son is now 50-something and she treasures that story we made up together to this day. I’m not going to give away our story about Jonathan Jellybean secret blessing and curse, but I will share the process of making up children’s stories.

Unplugged Family Collaborative Memory-Making Story-Building

Are you ready?

Let us begin…

All you have to do now is to add Your Imagination!

Encourage everyone to brainstorm ideas.

Will our story be an adventure, a journey, or a tale featuring their favorite animals, like my Jonathan Jellybean?

Creating a storybook can be an enjoyable activity that engages young imaginations and fosters creativity within the extended family.

. This collaborative effort not only sparks creativity but strengthens family bonds as you share laughter and ideas, transforming your living room into a bustling story factory.

• Agree on a fun idea,

•  Sketch out your story!

Write out everyone’s ideas. Decide the 3 parts of a story. 

1. beginning
2. middle
3. end

You can ask friendly questions like:

• Who and what are the characters? Are they people or animals?
• What are the characters’ names?
• What problems will challenge the characters?
• How will the story end? Is the problem solved? the author’s notes 

 

In Malika Bourne’s upcoming book: Family Fun Unplugged: Creative Games for All Ages, readers like parents and teachers will appreciate the author’s notes on the benefits of each activity published.

This whole process of making up a story together encourages face to face communication, cooperation, socialization, creativity.

This family activity is a fun way to boost critical thinking and organization skills. To top it off, telling stories together can be a fun way to make memories for all ages.

Don’t hesitate to get the older generation involved, too. Perhaps Grandpa and Grandma have some family stories you would enjoy writing down in your own words.

Remember, there are no wrong answers here—let’s enjoy those wild and crazy ideas your kids come up with.

The goofier, the better! You may consider grab a few pictures of family members laughing their socks oof and holding their bellies as they laugh.

 

This is Malika Bourne, the No Non-cents Nanna encouraging you to make good choices.

 

OpenAI. (2025). ChatGPT [Large language model]. https://chatgpt.com https://chatgpt.com/share/679f2d35-885c-800c-b291-2f111c688f57

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