Look, read, wonder, lights out. A simple routine for sharing big stories with children aged 5–10, even on the tiredest nights.
Bedtime stories don’t have to be long to matter. On most nights, ten calm minutes are enough, as long as they’re the same ten minutes, in roughly the same order. Here’s the routine we designed Storyloka around.
1. Settle (1 minute)
Same place, same light, if you can. Phones on silent, sound off, screen brightness down. Let your child choose the story, or pick up where you left off yesterday. Choosing gives them a small, real decision to make before the day ends.
2. Look first (2 minutes)
Before reading a word, look at the painting together. Ask:
- “What do you see?”
- “Who do you think this is?”
- “What’s going to happen?”
In Storyloka, this is when the firefly hunt happens. Children who’ve just been hunting for a hidden light are already paying attention by the time you start reading.
3. Read (4–5 minutes)
Read the family lesson aloud, or let the device voice read while your child follows the words. A few tips:
- Slow down. Bedtime reading isn’t a race. Pausing makes room for questions.
- Do the voices if you like, but don’t worry if you don’t.
- Stop at the good bit sometimes. “We’ll find out tomorrow” is a powerful sentence.
4. Wonder (2 minutes)
Every lesson ends with a short question and a wonder question. The first checks understanding; the second has no right answer. “What gift could you share with someone?” “Who would you ask for help with a hard choice?”
Answer it yourself, too. Children learn a lot from hearing how a grown-up thinks.
5. Lights out
Close the app. A hug, a goodnight, and the story becomes the last thing they think about rather than the last video they watched.
The aim isn’t to finish a book. It’s to end the day together.
What about wriggly nights?
Some nights the routine falls apart, and that’s fine. On those nights, skip straight to the picture: hunt for the little light, ask one question, done. Two minutes still counts.
Different ages in one bed
If siblings share story time, let the younger one do the looking and the older one do the reading. The wonder question works for everyone, and older children often love explaining the story to younger ones.
A routine, not a rule
Use whatever parts help your family. Some nights you’ll only look at a picture. Some nights you’ll read three chapters because someone begged. The routine is just there to make the good nights easier to start.
