Chance to win a £200 voucher - check out the Storytime Sounds app from notonthehighstreet.com and share your storytelling experiences, tips and tales NOW CLOSED

[AnnMumsnet]

To celebrate the latest addition to the iPhone Storytime Sounds app from the team at notonthehighstreet.com they'd love you to share your storytelling experiences, tips and tales on this thread.

They'd also love to hear your feedback on their app; it's available on iTunes - you can download it here: itunes.apple.com/gb/app/storytime-sounds/id883691199?mt=8

They say "our story time app is free to download and is designed to bring an extra element of fun to storytime for families with kids aged 3-7.

There are 6 soundboards for different storytelling themes - pirates, fairytales, lost world, space, monsters and our latest addition, Christmas"

So please share what storytelling means to you on this thread. Are you creative enough to make up your own bedtime story for your LO, do you do "funny" voices, when do you do storytelling with your child - bedtime or during the day? And do give the app a try if you can - notonthehighstreet.com would love to hear what you and your DC think of it (the new Christmas sounds in particular), how you used it and whether it made storytelling easier/more fun.

Please share your thoughts and feedback on this thread and you'll be entered into a prize draw where one lucky MNer will win a £200 voucher for notonthehighstreet.com. Please add your comment by 24 December. Standard Insight T&Cs apply

Good luck
MNHQ

PS They have also written a little story as a starting point for your storytelling adventures, which can be found here: blog.notonthehighstreet.com/2014/12/10/a-christmas-story/

I'm mixed about this one. As a primary school teacher I can see it would be great for oral story telling. However, for bedtime? No. I Can see the flow of the story being lost by fiddling around with a tablet/phone (which I don't want there at bedtime) and it's quite restrictive. I looked at the fairy tales, monsters, christmas and space sections and I doubt we'd use more than a couple of sounds so not much use really. Maybe link them to actual books?

We're more than happy to cuddle up, get comfortable and make up our side effects. We take on different characters too if it's an early bedtime :-)

I wouldn't use the app at bedtime as would have to have the iPad or phone out, and storytime is wind down time before bed, which doesn't usually involve technology.
My son is 5 and my daughter 1. We read them bedtime stories together, but mostly we read my sons books. He will choose which book he wants to read each night, and I do voices.
I do make up my own stories as well, every so often my son will ask me to make up a story that he is in, he likes adventures, so I've made up stories about him having a pet dinosaur, going to space, etc and he loves them, he will re tell me the story I've made up

Story time before bed is a brilliant way to calm things down and make amends for any conflict there might have been during the day - I love how it bridges the gap between the witching hour when you want someone to take your children far away and bedtime when you could cry because they're so beautiful and amazing :)

Having said that, if I never see Spot's First Easter ever again I'll be delighted!

i think reading with children is a great way to get them interested in books and help them to learn to read. I find anything that helps to bring the story to life helps, using different voices for the characters, looking at the pictures together etc keeps them interested. This app is great, it adds to their interest and enjoyment of the story.

I don't think anything can compare to story-telling by someone with whom the child can interact and point out things in the story. This app may have a place - on car journeys etc.. but then we always found story tapes/CDs did the trick! My best tip for story-telling is not t0 be afraid of using silly voices and getting into character - it adds to the fun!

I've downloaded the app and will give it a try but my main concern with it is that as soon as my three year old sees my phone he wants to play with it which I'm trying to discourage.

I'm better at reading stories straight from the book. I try to do different voices for characters but find it difficult to remember how the voice sounded the last time I read the story and then get flustered - not that my 3 year old probably notices. I'm rubbish at making up stories from my head whereas DH is amazing at creating stories - one of DS's favourite stories is a made up one about a bird in a tree that hubby created.

Storytelling is such an important part of my DS's bedtime routine. What amazes me is how many times he can listen to the same story....there are a few that he loves so much and as I read them for the 50th time, I can really imagine their words shaping his brain, his personality, his reference points. I love to read to him and to put on voices, sometimes to digress, to look at the pictures, ask questions and so on. It is so important and I do wonder if technical forms can really cut it in the same way.

When we got bored my mum used to help us to make up stories and now I do the same with my children. I give hints and they give me the information:
Once upon a time there was a called .`He was very and . He lived in where it was very .

As long as I give them a framework, they fill in the rest. These stories often happen in the car and continue at home if the journey ends without the story finishing satisfactorily.

I have to say I am floundering a little with story time now that DD is almost 5. I feel a lot of her books are now too short for her, but chapter books seem maybe too long. Perhaps I am underestimating her capacity for understanding and paying attention. I may get some chapter books and give it a go.

Suggestions welcome!

The app is really lovely, my 2 year old particularly loves the Christmas section as he's obsesses - obsessed - with Santa.

We normally read a book before bed, but occasionally we make up stories. Me and dh both tell stories. My 3 year old loves having herself and people close to her in them and she loves funny voices or one of her cuddly toys doing actions.
We just tried the app. She particularly liked the lost world one.
I wouldn't say it made the storytelling easier as I ended up trying to revolve my story on what noises there were, but it did make it more fun

I can't download as I'm not an apple user. However devices at bedtime ... I'm not a fan.

I've only got an android phone so can't try the app. Anything encouraging storytelling has to be good though.

My tip for good storytelling is to pick a story you like so you can put some expression into it. And the silly voices as everyone else says

We've been using the app for some time now and my DCs (DD 20 months, DS nearly 6) enjoy using it and were actually playing with the Christmas sounds this morning :)

We don't use it for storytelling though, they just like it as a funny app to play with. DD's favourite sound is the witch's laugh!

Re: storytelling I tend to make up silly stories in the car or walking to/from school with DS and I time them to last as long as our journey so 5-15 minutes. They always start 'once upon a time...' and usually are about a little boy and girl with the same names as my DCs but to whom very unusual things happen eg the DS may suddenly be talent spotted by Ryan Giggs to play for Man Utd at his little football group. One story I remember making up was about a little boy who found a magic stream and every time he went in it he would come out smelling like whatever he wanted eg jam, candy floss etc

DS then likes to make up his own stories which tend to be based on whatever I've said but I think it's really important for DCs to exercise their imagination so I just let him make up whatever he wants. It's also nice for him to think about including his toddler sister in the story so the stories I tell area never just about him - sometimes he's rescuing DD from a dragon or something too!

Keep up the good work NOTHS and thanks for such a great app.

Oh and re: bedtime stories, DS is really into Roald Dahl at the moment and I LOVE reading those with all sorts of funny voices!

My daughter is nearly 4 and is currently obsessed with two things. Stories and the film 'Elf'. With that in mind, I downloaded the app to see how it can enhance story time.

My daughter went straight to the Christmas sound board and you've guessed it..straight to the ELF! (he even looks like buddy so she's over the moon, top marks there)
She loved the different noises and was able to use it easily. She's on it now laughing at the monsters!
I think this brings a helpful and entertaining extra element to storytime.

I always remember as a child having my bed time story every night and it was a time to wind down, let my imagination run wild and spend some time with my mum. I grew up loving reading. For children growing up now, there are so many other ways to occupy children, reading is possibly a bit neglected now!
I do think that because I loved to read so much, I became very interested in English and writing. I'm sure that the awful punctuation I see now, is down to lack of reading and learning. I think reading is the best way to build an imagination, learn and lose yourself in a different world.
I love to make up stories with my daughter, we have good fun all making up a bit each and it gets weirder and weirder as we get to the end! My DH has even written some stories for our DD! My daughter wants stories all the time, first thing in the morning, during the day if she's not at playgroup and especially in the evening. Despite her huge range of books, it's always the same two. Maybe I can liven them up a bit now with the new sound effect app! Thanks Notonthehighstreet.com!
The app will be especially good for when we make up stories :)

Can't access the app due to no Apple products so I can't help on that score. I would willingly try an Android or Windows version if and when it ever gets there.

DS1 (4) likes real life more than make believe, he's ok listening to a story but much, much, much more engaged with a non-fiction book to go through and discuss. He asks lots of questions which means it can take minutes and minutes to get past more than a few pages.

Fiction he does like, such as Paddington, Mog, Alfie etc are all based in recognisable places, homes, train stations, shops, parks etc. If I do a silly voice he tells me to stop it and behave! So I rarely bother any more.

We love story time! DS is four and would have books read to him all day. We make up stories when we're in the car or out and about but read books (and use his Leapreader) lots at home.
The app was great but it was a bit distracting for DS as he wanted to play with my phone when we used it.
I'll definitely keep using it and likely when we're out and about to keep him amused.

I haven't tried the app yet but I will, sounds lovely.

My DC are 2 and 4 - they get a story every night - usually an old favourite read from a book with silly voices and actions. I often change a word here and there just to be silly and they find it hilarious when I call someone by the wrong name or whatever it is. Then they try and tell me a story back!

DD1 gets three stories every night. It's lovely to have a bit of quiet on-on-one time. I occasionally use a silly voice or two, but I often end up getting the voices mixed up.
I like the app, but I think it's something I'd only use for reading stories in the daytime. I don't like DD1 playing with the phone & it might be a but too exciting for in bed. The pirate sounds will probably get used the most. We love a pirate story.

I cannot try out the app as we don't have apple products. I have read the thread, though, and there is a common issue - which was my concern with the app - and that is the use of technology at bedtime.

I think an app like this could be useful for daytime story telling, but I wouldn't be happy to use mobile phones/tablets at bedtime.

I haven't used the app yet as it won't download for some reason.

However, I love storytelling and my kids do too. We get right in the mood and I raise/lower my voice as needed. I even make the appropriate noises for various sounds in the story. As you can tell, I love storytelling. My kids have started to love audio books.

I have two children, my DD is aged 3 and my DS is aged 7. We have a bedtime story every evening and they will take it turns to choose which story we will be having. I think the app looks great, but I am a little old-fashioned and I love a good old fashioned picture book to flick through. Regards

I love story time with my 4 year old. I'm not sure I'd use an app at all. Its so much fun to read and make voices. She loves rhyming books still but is also into all the magic ballerina and fairy books and we use our imaginations to travel to Enchantia! Oh and we love making up stories especially having fun making up a sentence at a time each!

I really like the sounds, and know DC will as well. I doubt we would use it for bedtime (I'd never get my phone back) but definitely at other times of the day.

We'd probably use the sounds in other games as well. We play a game hiding in a 'tent' and the other one has to sneak up making noises. This would be perfect for that.

I liked the app but as others say bedtime is technology free in our house and my DS likes it best when Daddy makes up a story, normally a twist on the same story each night but it is always filled with children's excitement and DS gets all excited and happy to hear the ending. The app is good for me who isn't so imaginative and gave me some ideas when making up a story for DS myself.