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A two homes story for your child

A guide · about fifteen minutes

When parents live apart, a small child has a lot to keep track of: which house, which bed, which day. A short story, made from photos of both homes and read in a voice they know, gives them the pattern of the week in a way they can go back to on their own. This guide is a way to make one. It isn't advice on separating, and every family's arrangement is different, so change the pages to fit yours.

The story

  1. “I have two homes. Mummy's house and Daddy's house.” A photo of each front door.
  2. “At Mummy's house, my bed has the blue blanket.” Their bed there.
  3. “At Daddy's house, my room has the dinosaur lamp.” Their room there.
  4. “Some things come with me, like Bunny.” The toy that travels.
  5. “On Fridays, Daddy picks me up from nursery.” The nursery gate, or a calendar with the days coloured in.
  6. “Mummy and Daddy both love me, in both houses, all the time.”
  7. “When I miss someone, I can call them, or read this story.”

Use your family's words for the homes and the people, and your real days. If there are step-parents, siblings or pets in one home, give them a tile.

Make it

Tap + on the shelf, choose Tile by tile, set the tiles to match your pages, and tap Start. Tap each tile's picture and then Add a photo (TapTales Plus). Then tap each tile's microphone and say that page. The words fill themselves in as you speak.

TapTales' New story sheet: All at once, or Tile by tile set to six tiles, with a Start button.
Tap +, then Tile by tile.
The Pick a picture panel over a tile, with Add a photo at the top and emoji below it: animals, then outdoor things.
Tap a tile's picture, then Add a photo.
Grandma's Garden in the editor, recording as Mom: the first tile, with a photo of sunflowers and its words, is listening, with a red stop button.
Tap a tile's microphone and say that page.

If both parents want a part in it

The simplest way is for each parent to make their own copy on their own phone, for the days the child is with them.

If you'd both like to be in one story, one parent can add the other through Settings → Family sharing as Limited. They then see only the stories picked for them, and can record their own voice on the pages about their home. Your child picks who reads it. That puts you both in one TapTales family, so only do it if it suits you both. A person can be in one TapTales family at a time, so it also means the other parent can't join another one, such as their own parents'. Either of you can end it in Settings at any time. The stories stay with whoever made them, recordings included.

The Add someone to your family dialog, explaining All and Limited, with an All stories button and a Limited button.
Limited shows them only the stories you pick.

Tips

  • Keep it about the child's week. Where they sleep, who picks them up, what comes with them. Leave out why.
  • Say the same things in both homes. The story works best when both parents read it the same way.
  • Update it when things change. A new day, a new room: tap that tile's microphone and say the new version, or change its photo.

Questions

How young can they be? Toddlers follow it from the photos alone. For older children, let them help choose the photos and tell some of the pages.

My child is having a hard time. A story is a way to talk about the week, not a fix for how they feel. Your child's doctor or nursery can point you to someone who helps families with this.

What does it cost? Recording your own voice is free for three stories. Photos on the tiles are part of TapTales Plus. See pricing.

More guides

Make one in TapTales