Stories of childhood made up in French nursery mobiles

Reading to my daughter when she was younger gave me a great passion to understand how important the stories of childhood are and how the stories we read, the imagination that we make from our own stories help develop children’s imaginations and their sense of themselves. It has made me think over the years too how the French nursery mobiles we offer help in creating those stories that remain with children as they grow.

When children read authentic exciting books they learn about themselves. The book’s plot and its environment becomes part of their world and they learn about how the characters within the story navigate through life both it’s good times and challenges.

Similarly, when children are stimulated in their imagination they learn to think for themselves. They learn how to paint the sky green and the grass blue … and they develop the confidence to hold their own opinion, to have a sense of self and to respect it, and those of others.

The mobiles created by L’Oiseau Bateau are more than just beautiful themed decor. Each handmade mobile tells a story – a story about adventure and travelling, and about dreaming. Each mobile elf has its own character. They can be dreamy like the Girl on the Magic Flying Bed, or sassy like the Girl on the Magic Carpet. They can be brave and bold like the Aviator, or fun and a bit forgetful like the Boy on the Train with his bags flung open. They can be peace lovers like the Whale Rider or Belle Bird or the Little Prince Fishing for a Star. Perhaps problem solvers like the Fairy Tale characters Alice, or Red Riding Hood or Robin Hood. They can even be pet lovers like the triple and triplette series where each character is accompanied by a pet including a monkey!

Each time you look with your child at your mobile and tell your child something about the little characters, you give them a chance to tell their own stories too. Each time you pose a question, ‘I wonder where they are going, I wonder where they have been,” you give your child a chance to tell you what they know, and to tell a story. It’s in these moments that your child develops the confidence to build their imagination, to safely explore the world around them and to dream a little more. And at some point, the character becomes part of your child’s world, and perhaps a friend with whom they  they can escape to anywhere, whIle knowing they are safely nestled at home.

 

How do you help your child tell meaningful stories? x