How to Use Setting to Spark Your Child’s Imagination in Family Storytelling
Four ideas for settings to use in family storytelling adventures. An enchanted forest, a quiet farm, a regal castle, a sunny beach.
How to select and use settings for your family storytelling adventures is covered more fully in our book, Creating Stories Worth Telling Your Kids, now available on our store…
When creating Inspired Stories for children, one of the first steps is defining the main character. Shortly after, it’s time to choose the setting—the backdrop where the story unfolds.
What Is a Story Setting?
A story setting includes:
Geographic location – Where does the story take place? (e.g., a jungle, a castle, a farm)
Time period – When does it happen? (e.g., the present day, medieval times, the future)
Environmental factors – What are the surroundings like? (e.g., climate, landscape, cultural norms)
The setting can be a background element or an integral part of the plot (1)—both approaches bring unique storytelling benefits! When we create Inspired Stories for our kids, we usually start by defining the main character. Quickly after this, we move on to choosing the setting of the story.
Top Tips for Choosing the Right Setting
Here are two simple ways to effortlessly build your story’s world:
1. Start with a Natural "Home Base"
Use a realistic location where your main character would naturally live, then expand the adventure outward. For example:
If your child asks for a koala story, start in the eucalyptus woodlands of Australia.
If they want a dog story, begin in a suburban backyard or a farm.
If they request a superhero story, place it in the world originally created for that character.
2. Don’t Be Afraid to Use Tropes
A trope is a familiar storytelling pattern. Many writing guides teach authors to avoid them, but for family storytelling, tropes are a great tool! They:
Make stories easier to create—no need to reinvent the wheel
Help children learn common themes found in books, TV, and movies
Allow for repetition—which helps kids learn through familiar patterns (2)
Want proof that setting tropes work? Many beloved children’s books—like The Magic Treehouse series—use classic setting tropes as the basis for their adventures!
Two Types of Story Settings
When crafting Inspired Stories, settings can serve two different roles:
1. Background Setting: A Flexible, Timeless World
A background setting is a loosely defined location and time period. It works well when:
The specific details don’t impact the plot
You want to keep things open-ended for flexibility
You want to focus on the characters more than the world
Common Background Setting Phrases:
"Once upon a time…"
"In a faraway land…"
"Deep in an enchanted forest…"
These phrases signal to children that anything is possible—including magical elements that defy the laws of nature!
Example in Family Storytelling:
When our kids request a wild animal story, we start with the animal’s natural habitat:
A lion? Start in the African savanna.
An eagle? Begin in the mountain cliffs.
A frog? Set it in a rainforest.
From there, the characters venture out into new locations, creating endless storytelling opportunities!
Further Reading: Nancy Mellon’s Storytelling and the Art of Imagination explores how landscapes and structures influence storytelling.
This book inspired us to keep going with this concept. Below we offer a range of examples. There is an even more comprehensive list in our book, Creating Stories Worth Telling Your Kids.
2. Integral Setting: A Key Part of the Story’s Identity
An integral setting is highly specific—it affects the plot, mood, and character actions.
Examples of Integral Settings:
New York City, 1920s: A fast-paced adventure about a family recently immigrated to the United States
A remote Alaskan village in the 1890’s: A survival story against harsh winter conditions
Paris, 1943 vs. Paris, 1953: Two entirely different historical contexts
How to Use Integral Settings in Family Storytelling:
Create a Mini-Series: If story ideas at a character’s "home base" are exhausted, send them on a world tour!
Example: A traveling explorer visits a new country in each story (inspired by Jules Verne’s Around the World in 80 Days).
Time-Travel Adventures: Let characters visit different eras and witness historical events firsthand.
Example: A magical item transports them to Ancient Egypt, the Renaissance, or the Space Age!
Fantasy Worlds: Anchor stories in well-known fantasy settings:
Locate your story in the imagined realm: J.R.R. Tolkien did with Middle Earth in what became The Lord of the Rings Trilogy.
Have inhabitants of Earth cross over into a different dimension: Used by C.S. Lewis in The Chronicles of Narnia series when siblings Peter, Susan, Lucy, and Edmund access Narnia through an enchanted wardrobe.
Hide fantasy locations amidst the real world: Demonstrated in many fairy tales by the “Grandfather of Modern Fantasy”, George MacDonald, as human children wander away from home only to end up in places inhabited by giants, fairies, and spirits, such as in the stories The Golden Key and The Giant’s Heart.
Even young kids—who may not fully understand a setting’s historical weight—benefit from exposure to different time periods and places. It helps them build knowledge and curiosity about the world!
Bringing Your Stories to Life: Final Thoughts on Setting
We hope this post provides ample ideas for the when and where of your Inspired Stories can take place.
This is definitely not an exhaustive list. If you are looking for more, the best compilation of ideas I have found is https://allthetropes.org/wiki/Category:Settings . It contains hundreds of setting trope examples from across media formats. An important note is that Allthetropes.org is not a children’s website, so some setting descriptions on their list are likely inappropriate for family-based storytelling. You, as the teller, can choose what to use.
Sources:
“Understanding Story Setting: 5 Tips for Choosing a Setting.” Masterclass, 30 Aug. 2021, www.masterclass.com/articles/understanding-story-setting. Accessed 12 Feb. 2024.
LoBue, Vanessa. “Why Children like Repetition, and How It Helps Them Learn.” Psychology Today, 2019, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-baby-scientist/201907/why-children-repetition-and-how-it-helps-them-learn. Accessed 14 Feb. 2024.
Mellon, Nancy. The Art of Storytelling. Cambridge, Mass., Yellow Moon Press, 2003.
