Why Your Child Makes Up Stories — And Why It’s a Wonderful Thing

When Your Child Lives in a World of Stories

You just asked your 8-year-old to do their math homework, and instead, they tell you about a pirate ship made of jellybeans, led by a duck captain who’s allergic to gold. Again. If part of you sighs with exhaustion while another part can’t help but smile, you’re not alone. Many parents share your concern: "Should I be worried that my child is always ‘making things up’ instead of focusing on schoolwork?"

Here’s the comforting truth: a child who invents stories is often a child who is exercising vital mental muscles—creativity, emotional intelligence, linguistic agility, and even problem-solving. These traits aren’t distractions from academic success—they can be foundational to it.

Imagination Is Not Escapism—It’s Exploration

We sometimes interpret a child’s storytelling as a way to avoid real challenges—homework, social stress, or frustration around learning. But often, these stories are how children process their emotions and exert agency over a world that can feel unpredictable or demanding.

For example, your child might invent tales featuring brave heroes who struggle with fear or characters who face a tricky test and overcome it. These narratives are not only normal—they're essential. According to childhood development research, storytelling can support cognitive growth, social understanding, and even resilience.

In fact, developing your child’s imagination is one of the most powerful tools you can offer them during these school-age years.

Storytelling Builds Core Academic Skills

It’s easy to separate creativity from academics, especially if your child struggles with traditional subjects like math, reading comprehension, or spelling. But storytelling isn’t a diversion—it’s a builder of crucial learning skills:

• Verbal fluency and vocabulary: When your child invents stories, they practice putting thoughts into structured language—something that supports reading and writing development.
• Memory and sequencing: Remembering the beginning, middle, and end of a narrative develops recall and pattern recognition—important for subjects like math and science.
• Empathy and emotional expression: Creating characters with different feelings and motivations helps children navigate their own relationships and emotional world.

In fact, memory games and storytelling often go hand-in-hand when it comes to cognitive practice. If your child is especially imaginative, you might find they learn best when content is framed as a story or narrative rather than a list of facts.

How to Encourage Healthy Storytelling (Without Losing Homework Time)

Let’s be honest: even if you know storytelling is great, it can be hard not to feel stressed when all your child wants to do is live in a fantasy world while homework piles up. Supporting creative play while keeping daily structure is a balancing act—but a manageable one.

Here are some simple ideas to channel storytelling productively:

• Make space for stories: Assign 15 minutes before or after homework where storytelling is encouraged—your child can draw a comic, narrate aloud, or even write chapters.
• Tie learning to their stories: Is their story about an alien planet? Turn math problems into space missions. Learning the difference between nouns and verbs? Identify them in characters’ actions.
• Use stories as reflection tools: If your child seems anxious or restless, encourage them to build a story around those feelings rather than shutting it down as "daydreaming." Sometimes, it tells you more than a question ever could.

Encouraging storytelling doesn’t mean dropping structure—it means using stories strategically to support emotional and cognitive development. A child who’s allowed to imagine while still being held to expectations builds both creativity and discipline.

Feeding the Fires of Imagination

Like any skill, imagination needs inspiration. While screen time can often flatten creativity, audio storytelling fuels it. Resources like the LISN Kids app offer a library of original audiobooks and series specifically designed for kids aged 3-12, blending character-driven tales with themes like problem-solving, empathy, and adventure. With stories available on both iOS and Android, it’s an easy way to integrate enriching content into your child's daily routine without additional screen time.

Play a story during car rides or after dinner, then ask your child to imagine a new ending or invent a new character. These little exercises keep the creative gears turning—and you may be surprised by what they come up with.

Your Child’s Stories Are a Strength

It can be hard when a child who has difficulty with homework seems more interested in fantasy worlds than times tables. But don’t underestimate the value of what they're doing. The same imagination that creates talking ducks or magical forests can unlock creative problem-solving, narrative writing skills, and emotional insight—all of which support academic and life success.

Every story your child invents expands their inner universe and teaches you something about how they see the world. If you’re able to listen—really listen—you get to step inside with them. From there, learning becomes something more than memorization. It becomes something alive.

Want to keep nurturing your child’s development? Explore how to support their cognitive growth at home or discover ways to foster intellectual independence—one story at a time.