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Telling a Story by Brian Orr, M.D., and Donna Raskin

Many parents think there is a trick to telling a good story, but all popular stories have one thing in common — one of a limited number of basic plot lines. In other words, great children's stories follow similar paths.

<tgroup cols="2"> <colspec colname="col1" colnum="1" colsep="1" rowsep="1" align="left" colwidth="30"/> <colspec colname="col2" colnum="2" colsep="1" rowsep="1" align="left" colwidth="70"/> <thead> <tr> <td><p>Plot Event</p></td> <td><p>Two-Year-Old Version</p></td> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td><p>Boy wants girl</p></td> <td><p>Princess wants to find a new kitten/young pirate wants to find treasure</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>Boy tries to win girl</p></td> <td><p>Princess searches castle/ young pirate sets out to sea</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>Boy gets girl</p></td> <td><p>Princess sees a kitten/ young pirate finds an island</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>Boy loses girl</p></td> <td><p>Kitten hides from princess/ pirate can't swim to island</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>Boy strives to get girl again</p></td> <td><p>Princess bakes a special cake that gets the kitten to trust her/pirate is brave enough to swim to the island</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>Boy gets girl</p></td> <td><p>Kitten licks the princess/ pirate gets the treasure</p></td> </tr> </tbody> </tgroup> </table> <p>You can use these formats with virtually any type of character. To create new variations, have the heroes or heroines set different goals or meet different fates in their quest. Try to make the stories you tell relevant to your particular audience. If your two-year-old is afraid of water, have him be a pirate who has to swim to an island to get the treasure. If your little princess wants a kitten, tell her a story about taking care of a cat. If you stick to this basic outline, you'll tell an exciting story no matter what its ending.</p> <!--/gc--> <div id="pagination"><ul><li class="prev"><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/raising-a-two-year-old/appendix-a-fun-and-games-for-two-year-olds/playing-house.htm" title="Playing House">Playing House</a></li><li class="next"><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/raising-a-two-year-old/appendix-b-toddler-health-and-developmental-information/" title="Toddler Health and Developmental Information">Toddler Health and Developmental Information</a> </li></ul></div></div> <div id="coda"> <div id="rel"><div class="n5">Related Articles</div><ul> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/raising-a-two-year-old/appendix-a-fun-and-games-for-two-year-olds/telling-a-story.htm" zT="18/1YL/Zn"> Telling a Story - Raising a Two-Year-Old </a></li> <li><a href="http://movies.about.com/cs/actors/p/tomjane032404.htm" zT="18/1YL/Zn"> Thomas Jane Biography - Thomas Jane Movies and Biography </a></li> <li><a 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href="http://shop.everything.com/product/the-everything-guide-to-raising-a-two-year-old">THE EVERYTHING GUIDE TO RAISING A TWO-YEAR-OLD</a></h4><p><a href="http://shop.everything.com/product/the-everything-guide-to-raising-a-two-year-old">By Brian Orr, M.D., and Donna Raskin</a></p><div id="fp"><a href="http://shop.everything.com/product/the-everything-guide-to-raising-a-two-year-old">Buy This Book</a></div></div></div> <div id="toc" class="pane"><div class="n3">Raising a Two-Year-Old Sections</div><ul><li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/raising-a-two-year-old/the-myth-of-the-terrible-twos/">The Myth of the Terrible Twos</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/raising-a-two-year-old/growth-and-development/">Growth and Development</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/raising-a-two-year-old/parenting-issues/">Parenting Issues</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/raising-a-two-year-old/common-challenges/">Common Challenges</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/raising-a-two-year-old/building-blocks-of-learning/">Building Blocks of Learning</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/raising-a-two-year-old/play-time/">Play Time</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/raising-a-two-year-old/toilet-training/">Toilet Training</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/raising-a-two-year-old/toddler-nutrition/">Toddler Nutrition</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/raising-a-two-year-old/feeding-your-two-year-old/">Feeding Your Two-Year-Old</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/raising-a-two-year-old/general-first-aid-and-medical-issues/">General First Aid and Medical Issues</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/raising-a-two-year-old/common-illnesses-and-symptoms/">Common Illnesses and Symptoms</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/raising-a-two-year-old/a-safe-environment/">A Safe Environment</a></li> <li><a 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