Ask a Story: kids submit topics for next week is a weekly Storypie campaign. Families and teachers send short ideas for upcoming stories. The project began at a kitchen table and grew into a gentle habit for many families.
What Ask a Story is
Ask a Story is a simple weekly prompt program hosted by Storypie. Each week the community nominates a single idea. Then the Storypie team turns selected ideas into tiny published tales. The campaign highlights children’s choices and celebrates their voice.
Origins and impact
It started from two small moments at home. Once, a child suggested a lost dragon. Another time a child imagined a midnight garden. Those ideas became short recordings that families replayed. Over time the campaign became a repeatable ritual for many households. Research shows that in 2023, 52% of children expressed a desire for books that make them laugh, marking a 10% increase from previous years. This emphasizes the importance of humor in storytelling, which can inspire vibrant new ideas for the Ask a Story initiative.
Core features and characteristics
Ask a Story centers on accessibility, moderation, and clear timing. Parents or teachers submit ideas through the Storypie app or tagged posts on social channels. Submissions are short and kid-focused. Moderators review entries to keep the space safe and friendly.
- Weekly rhythm: one idea selected each week.
- Child-centered: ideas come from kids and their caregivers.
- Moderation and privacy controls for families.
Safety and moderation
Storypie enforces safety with parental verification and moderation tools. Content that includes personal details is flagged for review. Parents can control privacy settings before any submission becomes public. As a result, the campaign aims to be welcoming and secure for families.
Where submissions appear
Selected stories appear on Storypie’s published stories page and within the app. Families can listen to recordings and save offline copies for car rides. The campaign page on Storypie lists recent community picks and featured ideas.
For parents who want to join, visit the Storypie app or the Storypie published stories list to learn more and participate.
Why Ask a Story matters
The campaign hands a small, meaningful choice to children. It builds a sense of authorship, whether a child whispers an idea or sketches it. Because selections are visible to the community, kids often feel proud when their idea is chosen. Understanding children’s challenges is important: approximately 40% of children aged 6–17 reported having difficulty finding books they like, as noted in the Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report. This insight can help shape the story topics that resonate with young readers.
Over time the ritual increases confidence. Families report that kids add details and eagerly watch for the weekly pick. In fact, 53% of children and 55% of parents agreed that a book has helped them or their child through a difficult time, highlighting the therapeutic value of storytelling. That steady, tiny encouragement is the heart of the Ask a Story campaign.
Examples of community ideas
- A lost toy with a secret map.
- Rain that tastes like colors.
- A tiny astronaut who can only whistle.
Each example shows how brief prompts lead to playful, memorable stories.
To see current community picks and submit your idea, visit the Storypie app or the published stories page.
