Record your voice reading a story for your child (then add pictures)

Your child does not need a professional narrator. They need you, doing the voice for the grumpy troll that you always do. Recording your voice reading a story for your child is a gift for nights you are away, for a long car ride, or just for keeping. Turn that recording into a video with pictures, and it becomes something they can watch and hear over and over, even when you are in a hotel three time zones away eating a sad sandwich.

This page covers what to read, how to sound good on a phone, how long to make it, and how to turn a voice recording into a story video.

How do you record yourself reading a story for your child?

Use your phone's voice memo app in a quiet room with soft things around you, like curtains, a bed or a closet of coats. Hold the phone about a hand's width from your mouth, slightly to the side. Read slowly, pause at page turns, and do the voices. Then listen back once and keep the take that sounds most like you.

What story should you read?

Short, well-loved and easy to read out loud. A story your child already knows is perfect, because they will fill in the gaps with their memory of your reading. If you plan to share the video beyond the family, stick to your own story or an old folk tale, rather than a whole published book.

• Your family's made-up story The one about the dog who wanted to be a bus driver. Nobody else has it, and your kid will love hearing it "properly."
• A classic fairy tale, shortened The three little pigs in eight sentences. Classics are easy to trim and fun to do voices for.
• A story about their day "Once upon a time, a girl called June went to the zoo and the penguin winked at her."
• A story about you as a kid "When I was your age, I got stuck in a tree." True stories in your voice are pure gold.
• A rhyming poem Short rhymes are easy to record in one take and fun to repeat.
• Part one of a series One short chapter per recording, so there is always a "what happens next?"

How do you make your voice sound good on a phone recording?

Soft room, close phone, slow voice. Most bad recordings come from echo (bare walls, a kitchen) or from reading too fast. You do not need special equipment. Pick the right room, smile while you read (it really does change the sound), and let the pauses breathe.

How do you make a read-aloud story come alive?

Give each character one simple voice and keep it the same every time: low and slow for the bear, fast and squeaky for the mouse. Change your volume more than your pitch. Whisper the secret, go big for the giant's footsteps, and pause before the surprise. And add your family's own touches, like the kid's name slipped into the story or the special sound you always make when the wolf knocks.

How long should a recorded story be?

For a story video, short is best: 20 seconds to three minutes. A picture book read slowly can take five to ten minutes, which is lovely as audio but long for a video. Trim the story down, or split it into short chapters. Short videos get rewatched, and rewatching is the whole idea.

A short story your kid plays ten times beats a long one they play once.

How do you turn your voice recording into a video?

You can hold up the book's pictures while filming (a bit wobbly, very charming), draw your own simple pictures and film them, or have a drawn film made around your voice. Whatever you choose, keep the voice clear and the pictures simple: the voice is the star.

1. Step 1

   Trim the story. Pick the best moments and write a short version you can read in one go.

2. Step 2

   Practice once out loud. Mark where to pause and where to do the voices.

3. Step 3

   Record in a soft room. Phone close, TV off, three takes maximum.

4. Step 4

   Add pictures. Film drawings, or turn the recording into a drawn film.

5. Step 5

   Save it where your child can find it. A folder on the family tablet named "Stories from Dad" gets a lot of use.

Turning your recording into a film in Nine

Nine has a way in built for exactly this: A voice recording. Upload your reading, and Nine makes a short drawn film around it. The film runs as long as you talk, with your voice as its sound, so your pauses and your troll voice stay exactly as you recorded them. No photos are needed, of you or your child.

Be honest with the clock, though. On Film ($29 a month) films run up to 20 seconds, so record a tiny story or one short chapter. Film + Transparent goes up to 30 seconds, Production up to 90 seconds, and Studio up to 3 minutes for a proper read-along. Then ask for changes in plain words ("calmer colors") and get a new version. Your recording is never used to train anything. See the plans.

More ideas: a bedtime story video with your child's name, turn a voice memo into a cartoon, a grandparent video message, and animate a poem.