Tell Me What Happened

Before a child can write a story with several events in order, they need practice with the simplest version: telling one true thing that happened, clearly enough that someone who wasn't there could picture it. This sounds easy, but a lot of kids' first attempts at "what happened today" come out as a single word ("school") or a jumble with no clear moment in it.

Try this: ask a specific question instead of a broad one — not "how was your day," but "what's one thing that happened at snack time?" A narrow question is much easier for a young child to answer with an actual event instead of a mood or a shrug.

Once you get a real answer, help your child add one detail — where it happened, or how they felt — and say the fuller version back to them: "So you dropped your cracker under the table and it made you laugh." Hearing their own moment turned into a small story is often the first time a child recognizes they just told one.