November is right around the corner, and I couldn’t be more excited. Every year, I dedicate this month to unleashing my creativity. I work in a very data-heavy job, and my creative side often gets pushed to the back burner. But for the last five years, November has been different—I wake up early each morning, sit down with a notebook or laptop, and write. Every single day.
A few years ago, I adapted National Novel Writing Month (#NaNoWriMo) for children’s authors and created Children’s Book Writing Month: #ChiBoWriMo. The challenge is simple and fun—write one story a day using an open-ended writing prompt. With this framework, I’ve written more than 150 children’s stories across five cozy Novembers, and today I’m sharing 30 brand-new prompts to help you start your own creative sprint.
But in full transparency… I’m switching things up this year. After writing 150 children’s stories, I think it’s okay—maybe even necessary—to give my brain a new adventure. So I’m taking it full circle and hopping on the #NaNoWriMo train. This children’s book writer is about to attempt a full-length adult novel!
Will I hit the official 50,000-word goal in November? Honestly, we’ll see. My true goal is to finish a complete rough draft by the end of the year. Wish me luck as I attempt to double (or quadruple!) my daily word count. Here’s to trying new things, stretching our creativity, and letting November surprise us.
And if you love women’s fiction, please reach out—I’m going to need a fresh group of beta readers!
When my first daughter was little, I wanted her to know how to reach me in case of an emergency — but memorizing numbers wasn’t exactly a preschooler’s idea of fun. So I came up with a quick little hack that worked so well, I used it years later with my second daughter!
This simple activity helps kids see, say, and touch the numbers — hitting every learning style and making it stick. Best of all, it takes just a couple of minutes to make.
What You’ll Need
An old phone (disabled, or toy)
Round pricing stickers
Painter’s or masking tape
A marker
How to Make It
Stick the round labels where the numbers would be and write in the digits. (Bonus tip: draw the green phone/call icon at the bottom so kids learn to “press call.”)
On the back, add three strips of tape and write down:
Mom’s number
Dad’s number
911
life skills for kids
That’s it! Your child can now practice dialing anywhere — at home, in the car, or while waiting at appointments.
Once they’ve memorized your number, it’s one less thing to worry about. You’ll feel more at ease knowing they have the skills to reach you when it really counts — and they’ll feel so proud showing off their “grown-up” phone skills.
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Need a fun story for 2-7-year-olds? Ringo Picked is a seriously silly story about a really good raccoon with a very bad habit!
Find the paperback/ebook/audiobook available here.
I was recently on the Investor Mama podcast to talk about easy ways to coach your kids through money and business topics in a fun way.
I shared seven conversation starters, and each takes just five minutes or less. You can easily start one of these conversations in the car, at bedtime, at bathtime, in the doctor’s office waiting room, or even sitting around the dinner table.
I recommend starting when your kids are in elementary school, but the great news is that these conversations apply to middle schoolers and high schoolers, too.
Before starting these conversations, I’d encourage you to read your kids some picture books on these topics. The Money Smart Kids series is a great place to start to help get their wheels turning about what it could look like to start their own business – as a kid!
To hear our full podcast conversation, with in-depth examples for each question, listen here (link coming soon).
Remember, these are just a starting place to learn and grow, no wrong answers!
Seven Questions to Get Your Kids Thinking Like an Entrepreneur:
Ask–If you had your own money, what would you buy?
This question creates immediate engagement and helps kids value what comes next. They could brainstorm a list and then pick their Top Three.
You could even help them estimate how much they would have to earn to buy their Top Three items.
This is also a great time to plant the seed about giving.
What type of charity would they want to give to? It can be a fun way to reveal what moves the heart of your child.
Then – get into questions about creating a business (questions 2-7)
2. Ask – If you were to start a business, what product or service would you sell?
Here you can discuss…
… products vs. services
… your child’s unique skill set and strengths (they will love hearing from you, and it’s fun to hear what they think their own best skills are)
…what could they make better? A special kind of roller skate, folding laundry, a service for kids to deliver snacks! All ideas are welcome.
3. Ask – Where would you sell XYZ?
Let them brainstorm locations– school, park, local craft faire, door-to-door. Then make sure to dive into the pros and cons of each (traffic, visibility, safety, cost, fun factor).
4. Ask – How would you let people know about what you are selling?
When I was in college I read something along these lines:
Selling without advertising is like a man winking at a woman in the dark, he knows what he’s doing, but she doesn’t have a clue!
Make it easy, give people a clue!
So how will your kids be bold and get the word out about their business?
Sign, flyers, talking to people 1:1, website, business cards, email, a short video text to family and friends…
Challenge your kids – how will you make your message short and exciting so that people will want to use your service or buy your product?
5. Ask – How much would you sell it for?
If your kids are younger, you may have to help with this one.
Have them think about how much their supplies will cost – for the product and advertising.
Then have them think about how much they want to make each time their product sells. Now add those two numbers together to get the price you will charge.
Example: $1 total in supplies and advertising, and I want to make $5 per item after expenses, so I need to sell each one for $6.
Have them wrap up with a gut-check:
Is that price reasonable for the item I’m selling?
Would I pay that much if I saw this item for sale?
6. Ask – If your product wasn’t selling, what would you do?
Ideas: Could change the location you sell it.
You could change the advertising message: What words and description would make the item more likely to sell? Handmade, one-of-a-kind, will solve XYZ problem.
Or do they need to keep pitching and then adapt their product based on feedback?
In the book How to Sell a Rock, all the neighbors say no – but Sebastian keeps adapting his product and message until he finds what his customers really want.
7. Ask – How will you make sure you have money left to buy more supplies?
You can help them break their money into three buckets like Sophia did in the book How to Sell a Flower.
She used the three S’s for the money she earned from her business:
Supplies (short-term expenses)
Save (long-term expenses)
Spend (pay yourself and get some of the things you want + need for you)
Helping your kids have this responsible money mindset early on will help make sure they can stay in business and keep earning their own money!
One Final Ask:
Support these entrepreneur kids when you see them.
I once had two neighbor girls come to my door asking to walk my dog.
My dog is kind of a punk, so I didn’t want to put them in that situation. However, I saw their desire to make money, and I hired them to be mother’s helpers for the summer to entertain my girls while I worked from home. We all won!
Gives these kids the gift of practice: Engage in conversation, Give them at-bats to practice, let them work out the kinks, and then let them earn the money!
I’m not talking about Halloween, wearing flannel, or drinking Pumpkin Spice Lattes. I’m talking about my birthday, silly!
And every year around my birthday I like to take a day off and spend a good chunk of the day with me, myself and I.
I work out, I take myself to a slow lunch at a nice restaurant, I go to the beach, I go shopping, I think.
It’s always fun to see where my mind goes when I quiet the noise around me.
Last week, while on said birthday date, I took out pen and paper and jotted down a list of 30 creative writing prompts while enjoying a Spicy Thai Salad and Cucumber Collins.
If you’ve been here long enough, you know that every November, I write 30 children’s stories based on short prompts to get the creative ideas flowing. I do this for a national challenge called Children’s Book Writing Month or #ChiBoWriMo. This is a spin-off of the long-standing challenge – #NaNoWriMo , but way more fun, in my opinion! 🙂
I like to share the list ahead of time for those that also want to challenge themselves to get in the habit of getting creative each day.
For me, the stories I write in November end up being the starting point for what gets published the following year.
For instance, my newest release How to Sell a Flower, was written last November and published this September.
Give yourself the gift of creativity by setting aside thirty minutes each morning to take a prompt and put pen to paper.
Please don’t take each prompt too seriously. These are meant to be rough (rough) drafts.
The more important aspect is to show up each day and challenge yourself to start each and every story.
Sometimes, it takes a while to get started. Don’t be afraid to sit with a prompt and twist it over in your mind for a bit. This specific part of the process may be more valuable than the actual story you come up with.
Think of it this way:
You will be building your creative muscle every single morning.
What a cool gift to give yourself!
(I’d rank it right up there with giving yourself the gift of alone time)
I love a good easy craft that I can do with my kids.
Bonus points when it’s something you are actually excited to keep around your house for weeks until the most wonderful time of year arrives – yes HALLOWEEN!
These little ghosts take about 30 minutes to make (plus dry time) and the supply list is minimal. Just make sure to consult below because we had to do a take-two after we bought the wrong kind of clay and ended up with a big mess and little ghosties in the trash. Bummer!
Ghostie with the Mostie
Supplies:
Crayola Model Magic Air Dry Clay (make sure to get this one. They make a different Air dry clay for pottery and you DON’T want that one).
A Rolling Pin
Placemat
Pencil
Spice Jar (empty or full is fine, it’s just to get the shape down)
Tin Foil
Foil over the spice jar, then overlay the clay
Steps:
Make a small ball of foil and place it on top of your spice jar. Then use a larger piece of foil to drape over the top of the ball and spice jar.
2. Grab your placemat and rolling pin. Roll out your clay pretty thin. It will need to cover your spice jar and reach the bottom of it.
3. Use a pencil to poke out some eyes. You will want to play with this part until the eyes look as you wish. You can also make a mouth if you prefer.
4. Let your cute ghost dry for 48 hrs.
5. gently lift off the tin foil and ghost from the spice jar
6. Leave as-is or paint your ghost.
I left mine white but my daughter decided to paint black spots on hers. Turns out this may have been foreshadowing since our family costumes have been decided and they include Dalmatians. Ruff, Ruff!
These ghosts are so simple that I think it would make a fun classroom project this Fall.
I’m sitting at my kitchen table, and it’s dark outside.
My kids are still sleeping, and this is my window to write.
It’s still October, but come November 1st, you’ll find me here every morning.
That’s because November is Children’s Book Writing Month (#ChiBoWriMo), where WE write one children’s story a day for the entire month. When I say “we” I mean you and me. Don’t worry I’ll show you how.
This writing practice piggybacks on a long-standing tradition called National Novel Writing Month (#NaNoWriMo), where authors aim to finish writing a rough draft of their novel in thirty days.
I love that idea, for them.
But in this little corner of the internet, we are all about children’s books, and I love the creative rough drafts that come from showing up consistently and letting my mind wander in silly, strange, and imaginative places.
Because I have been an “adult” for quite some time now, I’ll admit that sometimes it’s challenging to let my mind go free. So the idea of putting creative writing into practice for an entire month really lets me lean in, and go deep.
By the end, I’m creatively spent, but also thrilled to have thirty rough drafts to develop all winter long. I look at my November stories and pick a handful to write second drafts of.
*This step includes typing up my favorites because I do my first draft in a notebook, with a pen – gasp!*
Because I’ve done this writing challenge for four years now, it means I’ve got over one hundred rough drafts written, solely in November.
Let me share one key tip that has always helped ensure I complete all thirty stories . . .
I ALWAYS print out a list of simple writing prompts.
That’s it.
I don’t have to fight to find a starting point each morning. These prompts are always pretty broad so I can take them in a thousand directions, but they give me a creative jump start.
If you’ve always wanted to write a children’s book, or just want to write more, give this one simple trick a try.
I’ll even share the exact list I’ll be using this November.
decide on a daily time and place to show up for yourself,
set your laptop or notebook out so you are ready to go,
then put a reminder on your calendar for November 1st.
Over one hundred stories later, I’m still using this formula because it consistently works.
Now it’s your turn.
Go get prepped – you creative writing machine. I’m cheering for you!
*Use #ChiBoWriMo on FB/IG
**For the rule followers:
What if it’s not November when I read this? Do I have to wait until next year? The exact month does not matter. But the idea of starting on the first of the month and showing up daily for the entire month is powerful. Give it a try!
Am I alloweed to switch locations or times once I set them? Sure, You do you. For me, 90% is at my kitchen table at 5am, 10% is at coffee shop whatever time I can squeeze it in).
If I miss a day, did I fail? Nope, you don’t fail unless you quit. Personally, I really like to test my creativity and write something for every single prompt. This means if I miss a day, I will double up and write two the next. Always finishing all prompts by the last day of the the month.
Growing up we talked a lot about money in my house.
I promise it wasn’t because we had a lot, or because my parents were financial experts.
But my parents were open to having the conversations even if they didn’t get every money detail perfect in their own life. They were willing to share what they learned. And they understood that money was a topic that would come up again and again in my life (for better or for worse), which made it a topic worth spending some time on.
I recall . . .
opening my first bank account,
learning to save for big things that I wanted but didn’t need,
looking at a compound interest table with my Dad,
chatting about why we give money to those in need,
getting a car loan for my first vehicle (even though I had the cash) so that I could build credit,
paying off student loans,
getting a mortgage and buying my first house,
and later in life asking for a raise at work, opening investments, and managing a budget.
My parents were right. No matter what lifestyle you desire, money is a part of your world.
I am grateful my family had basic money conversations when I was young, so that I when I grew up and it really mattered, I felt comfortable around money discussions.
Do I understand it all to this day? Nope.
But I’m also comfortable asking questions about money, and that’s a pretty good starting point.
But parents, I get it.
It’s hard to know where to start with money conversations. Especially if you didn’t have many growing up.
I didn’t want that to be a barrier for the next generation,
so I used my background in Business and Childhood Education to write the Money Smart Kids series.
The first book (How to Sell a Rock) is all about a creative kid named Sebastian. Sebastian really wants a skate board, but his parents challenge HIM to earn the money instead of buying it for him. This leads Sebastian to learning some important lessons about money and starting a business.
(Fun Fact: this book has over 170 reviews on Amazon. See what other parents are saying)
The second book called How to Sell a Can just came out this month. Sebastian is back for more money adventures when he thinks he has a great business idea but it ends up being a total flop!
Fortunately Sebastian’s not one to quit. Once he faces his money challenges and learns how to calculate profit, he’s unstoppable $$$.
I promise, both these books will lead to great money and creative problem solving conversations with your kids (even if money isn’t something you grew up talking about).
Consider this your easy button to introduce money topics with your kids.
Remember, these are the lessons that they will carry in to adulthood.
So you have an idea for a children’s book. A very good one I’m sure. Now what? I want you to take one morning and write it down. A super rough draft is fine, but get it down on paper or typed on your computer.
Guess what I am going to challenge you to do next? Write 30 more stories. What? Your goal was one. I know, I know. But this will be fun. Stick with me.
Let your story sit for a month and write some other stuff you didn’t plan on. It’s a good exercise to get your creative juices flowing, and will make you a better writer when you go back to your first story and write draft number two.
Every November writers work on completing a novel in one month (#NaNoWriMo), and us children’s book writers engage in #ChiBoWriMo – where we write a short story a day in November.
Grab your notebook and pen, and schedule in 30 minutes a day in November to use the list of story prompts below to take you from blank page to rough draft in about 30 minutes.
Stick to it! You will be amazed by the book of stories you end up with. You may even find a new favorite. But even if you head back to your original idea, you will be 30x the writer you were just a month ago!
If I’m being honest, my 10th book was one of the hardest to publish. It had little to do with the book itself, and everything to do with my own motivation…
If I’m being honest, my 10th book was one of the hardest to publish. It had little to do with the book itself, and everything to do with my own motivation.
My goal was to finish writing and publishing Ringo Picked last month…but I was on twelve different planes, bouncing from city to city and it left me feeling overwhelmed.
You’re kind, I’m sure in your head you gave me a pass for not reaching my goal.
But what if I told you that my goal was the same for the last three months and for various reasons I didn’t get there. That changes things a bit.
Obviously life happens, but in reality, I wasn’t making progress because of me.
Sometimes we all need a little motivation to hold ourselves accountable.
I actually made a plan of what needed to happen, set aside an entire day to actually do it without excuse, changed my environment for inspo (cute coffee shops always help me), and planned a reward for myself once I reached my goal.
Whether it’s a bad habit you (or your kids) are trying to quit, or a goal you are trying to reach, visually seeing progress and having a reward to look forward to at the end can help.
I’ve created this free Progress Chart to help your kids (or students) reach their own goals. Get FREE your printable here.
Wondering what my “reward” of choice was? A new coffee mug and a massage! Oh yeah, plus the personal gratification of publishing book ten 😉
Think of this as your permission from the universe to write.
Each November I participate in a challenge with a daily goal of writing one children’s book a day. Yes, some of the stories stink, most really. But there are always a few bits of magic in there. And those little gems are the ones I try to massage later in to stories worth publishing.
The key is to do the massaging once the month is over. Having a perfect story by month end is not the goal. Creating thirty totally new stories is.
Here’s how the challenge works:
Set aside thirty minutes a day, for 30 days straight
Use one writing prompt, found below, per day
You can go in order, or skip around, but finish every one – even the ones that don’t inspire you at first glance, because you want to stretch yourself to take on new subjects, perspectives, and ideas
Use the hashtag #chibowrimo on social media to see what others are writing
Don’t overthink it. Just print out the list of prompts, put it by a fresh notebook and pen, and set a reminder on your phone to get started on Nov. 1st.
If you want some other prompt options check out these, and pick your favorite.
The universe is ready to hear your stories. It’s time to let them out.
30 Stories in 30 Days, Children’s Book Writing Prompts:
A story about a backpack full of…
A story about an epic hike
A story about a cell phone that only calls one person
A story about an animal that lives abroad (ie: a pigeon in Paris)
A story about a kidpreneur that makes money for someone in need
A story about the Worst Teacher Ever
A story that uses alliteration. Pick a letter of the alphabet before getting started.
A Story about a topic kids find hilarious
A story about caring for grumpy people or animals
A story about how to clean a big mess
A story about Plan B being better than Plan A
A story about caring for something small and fragile
A story about a person with an embarrassing secret
A story about your new world record in…
A story about a letter that gets lost in the mail and found again a year later
Free Day, YOYO (Your on Your Own)
A story about a Holiday with a twist
A story about an adult that needs help from child
A story that is a song, or has a rap in it, to teach something new
A story about a train carrying a special surprise
A story that is under 100 words
A story about a magical item of clothing
A story that is non fiction (but still interesting)
A story about going to sleep
A story that is a sequel to something else your wrote
A story about finding $100 and having an internal debate about what to do with it
A story about how you stopped the “bad guys”
A story about how to stop anger in the world
A story about being the first kid on the moon
A story that includes Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas – bonus points for New Years too!
My Mom is the Worst 