Five shapes for an interactive Yoto story

A story with choices doesn't have to be a maze. Most good ones follow one of a few simple shapes, and the shape depends on what the story is for: settling down, getting teeth brushed, or getting ready for a big day.

Here are five. Four of them are on the cards below, so you can play them and see the shape from the inside. If you're new to cards that ask questions, start with how a Yoto card can ask a question.

1. The long way home

Good for: bedtime.

The story asks a few questions along the way, and each answer changes the route. But every route meets again before the end, and the last scenes are the same for everyone. Tonight they ride a comet, tomorrow they weave through the rocks, and both nights end with the same goodnight.

• Two or three questions, spread through the story.
• Paths come back together after each question.
• The ending is calm and always the same, so it works as a wind-down.

2. Their idea

Good for: teeth, bath time, getting dressed.

The choices sit inside a job that has to get done. The dragon won't open wide until your child picks top teeth or bottom teeth. Either way, the teeth get brushed. The story just lets them decide how.

• Every answer does the job. There is no way to skip it.
• Keep the choices small and silly: top or bottom, spit or gargle.
• End by handing the turn to your child: "Your turn now, Sam."

3. Try it both ways

Good for: a first day at school, a dentist visit, a new sibling, moving house.

Before a big day, a story can walk through it more than once. Each question offers two things that could really happen, and both are good. Play it twice, and they have seen the day two ways before it arrives.

• Use real details: the real classroom, the real person at the gate.
• Make both answers true to life. No surprises they won't find on the day.
• End on the reunion, at home or at the gate.

4. The waiting game

Good for: a rainy afternoon. Not for bedtime.

The question waits while your child does something in the room: finds something soft, looks out of the window, fetches a teddy. Because a question keeps playing until someone presses, the story can wait as long as the search takes.

• Say what to do, then say which button means "done": "Found it? Press left."
• Give the other button a hint: "Need a hint? Press right." The hint path leads on too, so nobody gets stuck.
• Keep each task close by. They need to hear the next clue.

5. Another go

Good for: older children who like a puzzle.

One answer moves the story on. The other gives a clue and leads back to the same question, so they can try again. A riddle works well: the right answer opens the door, and the other answer gets a gentle hint before the riddle plays again.

• Lead the "try again" path back to the question, not to the start of the story.
• Make the hint path fun to hear too. It shouldn't sound like a wrong answer.
• Use it once or twice in a story. More than that and it turns into a quiz.

Which one to pick

Shape	Good for	Questions
The long way home	Bedtime	Two or three
Their idea	A daily routine	One or two
Try it both ways	A big day coming up	Two
The waiting game	Daytime play	One per task
Another go	Puzzles and riddles	One or two

You can mix them. A bedtime story can ask one "another go" riddle on the way home, and a routine story can end with a wind-down.

Quick answers

How many questions should an interactive story have?

For bedtime, two or three. A tired child wants a story more than a puzzle.

Do the paths need to meet again?

No, but it helps. When paths meet, you only write the parts that differ, and every child hears the same ending.

Can a story have no questions at all?

Yes. Some stories are best told straight through, in chapters. Kolofon makes those too.