StorySprout
Every kid is an author.
What it is
StorySprout hands your child the pen. They invent characters, decide what happens next, illustrate each page, and hear their finished book read aloud — becoming the author of their very own storybook. There are no wrong answers and nothing to “win”; it's an open, gentle space for imagination, language, and the simple joy of making something. Every story your child tells is a little window into how they see the world.
A look inside
What it builds
- Oral narrative and storytelling skills
- Vocabulary and sentence-building
- Sequencing and cause-and-effect thinking
- Creativity, imagination, and self-expression
- Confidence from authoring something of their own
- Early literacy and a growing love of books
The research behind it
Long before kids read fluently, the ability to tell a coherent story out loud lays the groundwork for reading comprehension. Creating and narrating stories stretches vocabulary, sequencing, and language in ways that passive screens can't.
Oral narrative skill — being able to tell a coherent story — is a strong predictor of later reading comprehension.
Source: National Early Literacy Panel (2008), 'Developing Early Literacy: Report of the National Early Literacy Panel'
Storytelling and story creation expand children's vocabulary, sequencing, and oral-language complexity.
Source: Isbell et al. (2004), 'The Effects of Storytelling and Story Reading on Oral Language…,' Early Childhood Education Journal
Rich story experience in early childhood is linked to stronger later literacy outcomes.
Source: Wells (1986), 'The Meaning Makers: Children Learning Language and Using Language to Learn'
Faith & formation
We make stories because we're made in the image of a Maker. StorySprout gives children a joyful taste of God-given creativity — and stories are also how faith has always been passed down: telling the next generation the good and true things worth remembering.
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
“We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord.”
Scripture quotations are from the ESV.
Tips for parents
- Be the audience: ask “and then what happened?” and let your child lead.
- Read their finished story aloud at bedtime — it makes them a real author.
- Resist fixing the “mistakes”; their surprising choices are where creativity lives.
- Connect stories to real life — kindness, courage, forgiveness.
Ready to try StorySprout?
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