Merry Christmas!

It's hard to believe that Christmas is right around the corner! And that the schools are already on break!

This time of year is made for stories! I'm guessing that most of you have a story behind at least one ornament on your Christmas tree. And most families have stories that have been passed down for years about holidays past. Be sure to share those stories with your children. And encourage them to share their own stories as well. Developing those storytelling skills (also known as narrative skills) is an important part of learning to read and succeeding in school.

I'd like to share a couple of fun websites I came across recently that you can use to help your children tell stories.

The first is Kerpoof. While the activities are rated for Kindergarten and up, a preschooler could use the site with help. Have fun drawing a picture... maybe you'd like to draw your tree or a favorite ornament. One nice thing about this site is that you can save the pictures to your computer if you like, and you don't have to create an account. This can save some time and relieve concerns about privacy.

Another is Zooburst. On Zooburst, your child can create a digital pop up book. This is a good way to tell a favorite family story or make up your own. You can enter the text and even give voices to the characters in the story. You do have to register for this one.

Of course, there's no reason not to pull out paper, crayons, markers and... whatever else you'd like to use and create your own masterpiece at home! However you choose to do it, make sure to share some stories over this holiday season!