Last night I was bored with our bedtime stories. I didn’t want to search through the shelves and shelves of books we have to find something that sparked my interest. So, I picked up my Eeboo Tell Me A Story – Mystery in the ForestStory Cards. I know, it’s a long name but basically it’s a huge deck of beautifully illustrated cards that help you tell a story to your kids.

With my best magician impersonation, I let Lydia pick five cards. I glanced at them and tried to put them in a logical order. There was none. So, I held up the first card and started talking.

Our story began with Princess Perriwinkle and her best friend/confidant/servant Petunia the Pig. Petunia the Pig and Mr. Squirrell the Milliner tracked down a thread theif. The contrite thief, Little Racoon apologized for being disobedience and worked hard to rectify his misbehavior.

If you didn’t quite get the progression there, don’t worry, there were lots more details and five beautiful picture cards to illustrate. Lydia was enthralled and when it was over, we actually had a teachable moment about Little Racoon’s repentance. How’s THAT for a good bedtime story?!

There are so many ways to use this deck of cards. You could just pick one card at a time and tell a funny story based on what pops up. Lydia loves to pick a few out and lay them on the ground, then tell a story about what she sees. Asa just likes to pick up the cards and look at the pictures. Today we laid them all on the floor and tried to jump over them—so, whatever works!

I just love this because this whole idea fosters creative writing, imagination, comprehension for a pre-reader and understanding of sequence. Not to mention bring in some art appreciation with the lovely vintage-y illustrations! But my favorite part is that you get to spend a few minutes creating something for your child. It will be a one-and-only story that’s just for that moment. It’s a gift!

You should check out Eeboo’s website. You will want one of everything. And in case you were wondering, this isn’t a paid post. But it should be. Seriously. I love these things.

What do you do when you are bored with bedtime?

For more great products check out Diaper Diaries Things I Love Thursday!