Every day at 3pm, a child's authentic voice will appear on www.my-storyquest.com

Not polished. Not perfected by adults. Not written to a template.

Just pure imagination, captured exactly as they spoke it.

31 children. 31 stories. 31 days of proof that every child has something worth saying.

What Is 31 Stories in 31 Days?

Throughout December 2025, we're publishing one child's story every single day at 3pm.

These are stories created by Year 5 and 6 students from Bradford and Gloucester using the StoryQuest™ methodology, the same approach that has achieved 100% engagement across 465 children in 9 schools.

Stories about:

• Dragons and sea monsters
• Otters and phoenixes
• Heroes who aren't always brave but figure it out anyway
• Characters facing fears and finding courage
• Adventures that make children laugh
• Worlds where anything is possible

Every story was created with complete creative autonomy. No templates. No predetermined outcomes. No adult "fixing" their ideas before they'd finished expressing them.

Just one question: "Would you like to be the hero of your own story?"

Every single child said yes.

Why December?

December is about wonder. About believing in magic. About stories told by firelight and voices that matter.

These 31 children have spent the term discovering something remarkable: their imagination has value.

They've faced blank pages and won. They've created heroes and villains, built worlds and solved problems. They've learned that their voice, exactly as it sounds, is worth hearing.

Now we're celebrating them. One story, one child, one day at a time.

Because the best Christmas gift we can give children? Showing them their voice matters.

How It Works

Every day at 3pm throughout December:

• A new story appears on the Stories Without Borders blog and podcast
• Written by a child, for children
• Captured using clinical listening principles
• Published exactly as they told it

Make it part of your daily ritual:

• Morning coffee story check
• Afternoon break reading
• Bedtime story sharing with your own children
• Classroom read-aloud to inspire your students

Each story takes 3-5 minutes to read. Small enough to fit into busy December days.

Powerful enough to remind you what children can create when they feel heard.

The Methodology Behind the Magic

These aren't random stories. They're the result of a research-validated methodology that transforms how children engage with writing.

StoryQuest™ uses four clinical principles:

1. Build rapport before beginning
Just like in physiotherapy consultations, we establish trust first. Children meet facilitators through videos, understand the process, arrive ready to be authors.

2. Invite full expression
No "write about this topic." No templates. Complete creative autonomy. Children choose everything—plot, characters, setting, theme.

3. Verify understanding
"Is this what you meant?" Children work in pairs as storyteller and scribe, checking understanding, capturing voices exactly as spoken.

4. Ask about lived experience
Not "Did you enjoy it?" but "What was it like to be the author of your own story?" Open questions that invite authentic reflection.

The results across 465 children:

✅ 100% engagement (every single child)
✅ Zero behavioral incidents during sessions
✅ Success across SEND, SEMH, and EAL learners
✅ Children who said "I hate writing" asking for more time
✅ Teachers reporting outcomes they'd never seen before

Tom Hirst, Head of English at Dixon's Manningham Primary, told BBC News:

"Even the kids who don't like writing didn't want to leave. They wanted more. We've never seen that kind of engagement before."

Tom has now built StoryQuest™ permanently into his curriculum. Not for one term. Permanently.

What Teachers and Children Are Saying

From teachers:

"This programme has had a genuinely transformative effect on our pupils' engagement. The freedom to express ideas without strict constraints has empowered pupils to take risks and develop confidence in their own voices."
— Mr. Thieb Khan, Year 5/6 Teacher, Beckfoot Nessfield Primary

"Engaging reluctant boys in writing has been a school focus. In our session pupils couldn't wait to get started. Written outcomes are very strong."
— Claire Light, Quality of Education Leader, Beckfoot Heaton Primary

From children (when asked "What was it like to be the author of your own story?"):

"I didn't know I had so many stories inside me until I was allowed to let them out."

"I believed in myself so I could create things I didn't even know I could do."

"Normally you have to follow the teacher, but this time you're more free."

"I felt like a real author."

"I want to be an author when I grow up. I wish I could do this everyday."

Why This Matters

This isn't just a festive project. It's proof of something fundamental:

Every child has stories worth telling. They just need someone who knows how to listen.

When we remove:

• The fear of the blank page
• The pressure to be perfect
• The correction-first approach
• The predetermined outcomes

And we provide:

• Complete creative autonomy
• Therapeutic listening
• Partner collaboration
• Celebration of authentic voice

Children discover capabilities they didn't know they had.

"Reluctant writers" become enthusiastic authors. Children carrying trauma find safe ways to process it through metaphor. Boys who resist "talking about feelings" engage through adventure stories. EAL learners succeed without special adaptations.

This is what's possible when we truly listen.

How to Follow Along

Bookmark this page: https://www.my-storyquest.com/blog

Set a 3pm reminder for December 1-31

Share with:

• Parents who believe children's voices matter
• Teachers looking for engagement inspiration
• Children who think they "can't write"
• Anyone who needs reminding what's possible when we listen

Use the stories:

• Read them with your own children
• Share them in your classroom
• Discuss the themes and characters
• Let them inspire your students to create their own

The Bigger Picture

31 Stories in 31 Days is a celebration. But it's also a demonstration.

A demonstration that:

• 100% engagement isn't aspirational, it's achievable
• Boys don't resist literacy, they resist compliance
• SEND students don't need special adaptations when methodology is universally designed
• Trauma-affected children can process emotions through safe creative expression
• Every child deserves weekly opportunities to be heard

Research across 465 children in 9 schools has validated this approach. BBC News, The British Psychological Society, PhysioTimes India, and educators internationally have recognized its impact.

Now we're showing you, one story per day, one child at a time, what happens when methodology meets authentic listening.

Start a New Christmas Tradition

This December, make the 3pm story part of your family's Christmas traditions.

Pour something warm. Sit somewhere cozy. Read a child's authentic voice.

Some will make you laugh. Some will surprise you. All will remind you what's possible when children feel heard.

31 children are giving you—and every child who reads their stories—a gift: proof that "if they can, I can."

First story drops December 1st, 3pm.

All stories remain available after December at https://www.my-storyquest.com/blog

Because every child deserves to know: dragons can be beaten, fears can be faced, and their story is worth telling.