1
Who is in it?
Your child, a pet, a grandparent, a friend or a completely invented character.
24 story ideas for kids
Start with something they know. Then imagine anything.
The best personalised story idea can begin with a pet, a rainy afternoon, a grandparent, a favourite toy or one completely wild question. Pick an idea below and make it your own.
A simple way to invent a story
Use four questions when nobody knows what should happen next.
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Where does it begin?
A bedroom, garden, park, supermarket, beach or somewhere entirely imaginary.
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What changes?
A door appears. Something goes missing. An animal talks. The ordinary suddenly becomes impossible.
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What do they need to do?
Find, help, rescue, discover, build, return, learn or simply make it home for bedtime.
Pick a spark
24 personalised story ideas to try together.
Change the names, places, characters and details so the idea belongs to your family.
Bedroom Moon Mission
A tiny rocket appears beside the bed and needs a crew before the moon goes to sleep.
The Pet Who Became Captain
The family pet is suddenly in charge of a ship sailing across a sea of clouds.
Grandad and the Secret Garden Gate
A familiar garden gate opens somewhere it has never opened before.
The Cardboard Box Space Station
A box in the living room becomes mission control for a trip beyond the stars.
The Dragon Behind the Sofa
A very small dragon has been hiding in the house and needs help with a very big problem.
The Rainy-Day Treasure Map
A puddle outside the window contains the first clue to a treasure hunt around the neighbourhood.
The Teddy Night Train
A favourite soft toy receives a ticket for a train that only runs after bedtime.
The Dog Who Found a Door in the Park
A normal walk changes when the family dog discovers a door inside an old tree.
The Dinosaur Tea Party
A dinosaur arrives for tea but has never learned how to use a tiny teacup.
The Supermarket Kingdom
The aisles turn into roads, the trolley becomes a carriage and the fruit section hides a royal mystery.
The Lost Star
A star falls into the garden and cannot remember how to get back into the sky.
The Puddle Ocean
One enormous jump into a puddle leads to an underwater city no grown-up has ever seen.
The Robot Who Needed a Joke
A new robot can do almost everything except understand why people laugh.
The Birthday Cake Escape
The birthday cake disappears just before the candles are lit, leaving a trail of sprinkles behind.
The Library After Closing
The books begin whispering after the lights go out, and one unfinished story asks for help.
The Cloud Post Office
Letters for dragons, astronauts and mermaids are piling up because the cloud postman has lost the map.
The Family Picnic Portal
A picnic blanket unfolds into a doorway to a place built from everyone’s favourite things.
The Tiny Explorer in the Bookshelf
A miniature explorer appears between two books and needs a guide through the giant living room.
The Firefly Camping Adventure
A camping trip becomes magical when a swarm of fireflies forms a glowing path into the woods.
The Day the Bus Became a Safari
A familiar bus route suddenly passes elephants, giraffes and one very confused penguin.
The Underwater Library
A message in a bottle invites the family to return a missing book beneath the sea.
The Dragon Afraid to Fly
A dragon wants to join the other dragons in the sky but would rather keep both feet on the ground.
The Great Garden Giant
The garden looks completely different when everyone wakes up the size of a ladybird.
The Moonlight Bakery
A bakery appears only at night, where dreams are baked into tiny glowing pastries.
How to make a story idea feel genuinely personal
Personalisation does not require turning every fact about a child into a prompt. A few familiar ingredients are usually enough: someone they know, an animal they love, a place they recognise and one imaginative twist.
Instead of “a story about a dragon”, try “our dog finds a tiny orange dragon hiding beside the garden shed”. Instead of “a space story”, try “Mummy and the rabbit launch from the bedroom in a cardboard rocket”. The familiar detail creates the connection; the impossible detail creates the adventure.
Let the child change the idea
These prompts are starting points, not scripts. Ask what should be different. Should the dragon be nervous? Should the moon be made of toast? Should the family pet be the clever one? The more the child changes the premise, the more the finished story reflects their own imagination.
Turn the spark into a story
Build the characters once, then give them endless new adventures.
Choose one idea
Which adventure would they change first?
Pick a prompt, swap in your own cast and let your child take the idea somewhere completely unexpected.