How do I write a children's story?

How to write a story for children

The Arab intellectual has known that these stories translated for children do not give them the benefit that parents aspire to and hope that their child will obtain. The Arab child needs stories that speak about his world, that are close to his environment, that speak in his language, his people, and his religion, so that they emphasize the customs of his family and the traditions of his country. Therefore, translated stories will not succeed in enriching his knowledge of these aspects, despite their success in urging the child to behave properly, as good morals are a common feature of the goals of children’s stories in all languages.

Elements of writing children's stories

Characters

The most important elements of the story are its heroes. The child naturally searches for heroes to imitate. The characters must have names from the child’s environment and have diverse characteristics. It is wise to have brown children and white children, healthy and sick, so that the child learns to accept difference. One of the story’s characters must rise to... The degree of the hero, so that the attention of the storyteller and the child should focus on it when writing and reading. This hero must also have distinctive characteristics, but it is often preferable for the hero not to be a superhero. The child must learn that good morals are within everyone’s reach, just as children rejoice when animals speak in their stories, as it is not a requirement. Whether the hero is a child or a human, as the child does not care about the type of hero he is, but rather cares about his actions.

the plot

The plot is the events of the story and is not intended as a complex as some people think, that is, it is the arrangement of the events of the story according to the storyteller’s vision. As the reader reads it.

Narration and dialogue

Stories for children, as well as adults, need dialogue and narration. It is preferable to be brief and short in children’s stories, as they get bored quickly, and dialogue will help the child understand the events and live with them. This varies according to the age group to which the story will be directed. If the narration is for children over seven years of age, it must be brief, and the storyteller must rely on direct dialogue. As for stories for children under the age of five, the child needs a reader, so the storyteller must be more concise with the size of the text and its words. If the father, mother, or any other person reads, he must adopt the suspense of the reading method, and he may be brief and speak in his language sometimes. The child will love for the reader to read to him in colloquial language, but it is better for the text to be read as it is. From the beginning, the storyteller must succeed in writing in a sound language that children understand. Effortlessly.

Meaning, idea and value

The story is always limited to a certain goal. The storyteller wants to tell the child about something important, a theme, wisdom, or idea. He wants to convince the child of its importance in this life. However, one of the most important methods of teaching or upbringing in general is not to teach the child or impose... The orders are upon him, and therefore the storyteller tries to pass on to the child his purpose through the story. If the child is asked after the end of the story about its purpose and his opinion of the behavior of its heroes, he will tell the questioner that the positive action is the correct one, without that being imposed on him.