Digital Storytelling for Families: Feel Closer & Keep Memories Alive

Digital storytelling makes capturing, sharing, and reliving precious family memories easier than ever.

It’s more than just saving photos or jotting down memories — digital storytelling refers to capturing the laughter, voices, and little details that make our family unique.  Web-based stories make it possible to share these moments, not just as words, but as voices, images, and videos that feel as real as the day they happened. Why bother? Because one day, these stories won’t just be memories — they’ll be a way for our family to stay connected, even when we can’t be together.

Digital storytelling has united my family in way that years of messaging and video calls has not. With time together becoming increasingly rare, it’s given us a way to feel deeply connected while preserving precious memories. 

How families share stories is evolving — they’re no longer confined to dusty photo albums or fading memories. Digital storytelling is the future, making it easier to keep family connections strong across time and distance.

Keep reading to see how your family can get started.

Jump to section:

• What Is Digital Storytelling and Why Does It Matter? 
• Who Uses Digital Storytelling?
• How Does Digital Storytelling Help Families?
• What Stories Should Families Digitise?
• 6 Steps To Successful Digital Storytelling
• Solving the 5 Most Common Digital Storytelling Challenges
• Digital Storytelling Tools and Apps for Preserving Family Stories
• Simirity – the Home of Digital Family Stories
• How Our Family Use Digital Storytelling to Feel Close
• Examples of Digital Storytelling in Families
• How to Get Your Family Started With Digital Storytelling
• FAQs About the Use of Digital Storytelling in Families

What Is Digital Storytelling and Why Does It Matter?

Digital storytelling reshapes how we share ideas, experiences, and emotions in today’s digital world.

The definition of digital storytelling involves using technology to tell stories in a way that captures attention and enhances understanding. Integrating interactive elements and multimedia like images, video, sound, and animation brings stories to life in ways traditional formats cannot. And thanks to smartphone technology, everyone can embrace digital storytelling, regardless of skill level or experience.

Think of digital storytelling as a form of digital media that helps you make your stories more powerful, personal, and unforgettable.

Storytelling psychology — how stories connect us

Stories are a communal currency of humanity.

— Tahar Ben Jelloun

Traditional storytelling has always been more than just words — it’s how we make sense of life and connect with each other.

Whether it’s a childhood memory passed down at the dinner table or a late-night heart-to-heart, stories make us feel seen and understood. A storyteller doesn’t just relay facts; they bring moments to life, creating bonds that linger long after the story ends.

Stories on the building blocks of our relationships — by telling authentic stories, we share insights into our true selves. 

Storytelling evolution

My grandparents’ generation lived in the same village as the rest of their family, and they effortlessly shared stories from their lives as they socialised.

Long before books and screens, stories lived in voices. Storytelling has been used to share wisdom, preserve culture, and shape identities — spoken in hushed tones around a fire, animated over kitchen tables, or carried on the wind during evening walks. Oral storytelling was a living tradition, a way for each generation to leave something behind for the next.

But life has changed. Families are spread across cities, countries, and even continents. We rush through busy days, and those long, unhurried conversations have become rare. We no longer gather as often to share stories face-to-face, and with every year that passes, memories slip away. That’s why the expansion of digital storytelling matters more than ever—it helps us bridge the gap.

Today, digital storytellers are finding new ways to preserve their voices, weaving together words, images, and sounds to capture the essence of their experiences.

And with a whole host of digital storytelling tools at our fingertips, we now have the power to pass on our stories — not just to those around us, but to future generations.

Who Uses Digital Storytelling?

Everyday people use digital storytelling tools to share their message in meaningful and memorable ways. Here are a few examples:

Businesses and Brands – Companies create digital stories to showcase their values, products, and impact in a way that resonates with consumers. Digital storytelling is also used for marketing, employee engagement, and brand storytelling.

Schools – Teachers integrate educational uses of digital storytelling into their curriculum to encourage creativity, critical thinking, and communication skills. Teaching and learning become far more dynamic and immersive, making lessons more fun and meaningful for students. 

Dementia & Alzheimer’s Caregivers – For those struggling to remember, digital storytelling offers a window into their past, filled with familiar faces and treasured moments.

Writters / bloggers / creatives – For those who find meaning in words, digital storytelling offers a space to explore ideas, emotions, and personal journeys in a more creative way.

Historians – History isn’t just about dates and facts — digital storytelling helps historians tell the human stories behind them.

Families – Digital stories are used as a tool to build relationships and establish a shared understanding. Not to mention that it offers a priceless way of building a legacy that can be passed on. The next section explore the benefits in more detail.

How Does Digital Storytelling Help Families?

Who it helps

The beautiful thing about digital storytelling is that it benefits everyone within a family, regardless of age or distance.

How it helps

The sharing of stories is the most powerful tool we have for human connection.

– Unknown

1.  Family feels closer and know each other better – It’s incredible how much we don’t know about the lives of the people we love the most. As everyone gets used to sharing their life stories instead of emojis and random photos, your family get to enjoy interacting with each other in a more meaningful way.
2. Interconnecting all generations in stories – When grandparents share their stories, their memories are being used to connect them with younger family generations. And those same stories give grandchildren and future family members a sense of identity as they learn about their family roots and feel like they are part of something far bigger than themselves.
3. Digital stories can be accessed by all family – Family stories are no longer locked away in dusty books or only shared orally with those living nearby. Digital stories are shared in a heartbeat across continents and on any digital devices, letting all family members feel included in the conversation. 
4. Focal point for more meaningful interactions online & offline – Digital stories often present the perfect springboard for more meaningful interactions online, sparking conversations that go beyond simple updates and lead to deeper connections.
5. 360 view of experiences for future nostalgia – With digital storytelling, parents can blend all the little elements — pictures, sounds, and personal moments — into one beautiful story, knowing that when they look back, they’ll see their children’s childhood in a way that feels real.
6. The past is not forgotten thanks to digital reminders – Many things we create to preserve memories — like photo albums and diaries, can be forgotten over time. Digital stories, however, keep those moments alive, as many services can offer daily reminders about stories from the past that happened on today’s date.
7. Digital stories can evolve over time – A digital story isn’t static. It can continuously grow as you add new chapters, allowing you to tell a story that spans the years, filled with fresh moments and memories with each passing day.
8. Wisdom shared in real-life stories – Digital storytelling is a way for families to go beyond the regular updates, sharing life lessons, values, and wisdom that can benefit both today’s and tomorrow’s family members.
9. Preserve family personalities – Instead of flipping through photo albums and wondering what your loved ones were really like, digital stories allow you to remember the unique personalities of family members who are no longer with you, bringing their voices, smiles, and memories back to life.
10. Searchable Memories – Gone are the days of sifting through stacks of photo albums or searching for a specific diary entry. With a digital stories database, you can easily search and filter stories by dates, events, or people, allowing you to access what you need whenever you need it.

What Stories Should Families Digitise?

Our busy lives often mean families are limited to quick conversations — updates on family events or daily news. Digital storytelling invites us to go deeper, sharing the personal experiences and life lessons that truly define us. 

Start asking questions that dig deeper and uncover the experiences that make your family’s story unique.

The Simirity app provides hundreds of story ideas organised into 15 categories. 

1. Authentic Everyday
2. Education and work
3. Significant times
4. Interests and social life
5. Entertainment and arts
6. Family culture
7. Place and journeys
8. Thoughts on life
9. Treasured things
10. World news
11. Life influencers
12. Family food
13. Health and genes
14. Life hacks
15. Bucket list

View them online as story prompts or explore over 350 questions that you might want your parents to write digital stories about 

6 Tips For Successful Digital Storytelling

Technology is a great enabler. It has changed the way we do everything, and storytelling is no different.

—  Terry Pratchett

The process of digital storytelling doesn’t have to be complicated. They’re easy to create, especially with these six tips.

1. A compelling narrative

When I tell a story, I always think about how to make it flow. You’ll need a clear beginning, middle, and end. It’s all about creating an emotional link with your audience, using humour or memories to keep them engaged.

2. Authenticity

Don’t be afraid to make your stories personal. Real-life experiences are powerful, and when you capture genuine emotions, the people reading your digital stories will far closer to you.

3. Visual storytelling

Written stories are valuable on their own, but adding visuals like photos, videos, or even maps, really brings them to life. Visuals can make your stories so much richer and memorable, even if they are generic photos found online rather than ones you took yourself. 

4. Sound and voice

Sound can transform a story, especially voice recordings that make your story more emotional and personal, allowing family moments to feel real again.

5. Simplicity and focus

When telling your story, less is often more. Focus on the key moments, avoid distractions, and ensure every part of your story adds something meaningful for a stronger, clearer connection. And keep in mind that nothing is stopping you from creating multiple shorter stories.

6. Accessibility and sharing

Choosing the right platform is important so your stories are easy to access and can last for years. At the same time, you will want to ensure your stories are shared only with the people who matter, balancing privacy and connection.

Solving the 5 Most Common Digital Storytelling Challenges

It’s easy to upgrade family communication from a flurry of messages and photos, to fulfilling and enduring digital stories. 

1. Time and effort

We all know how hard it is to carve out time for anything extra. That’s why digital storytelling, being a short form of storytelling, is perfect for busy families. It’s quick, simple, and lets you document life’s precious moments without feeling like it’s another overwhelming task.

2. Choosing what to share

Looking through our family memories, I’ve learned what’s worth capturing.

Those small daily moments as I interact with my kids deserve their place. But special moments from our past should be shared too. It’s about finding that balance, making sure both the authentic everyday moments and the meaningful milestones get preserved.

3. Privacy concerns

You know that feeling when you think about your family’s precious memories – those candid photos and personal stories that mean the world to you?

It’s completely natural to want to keep them protected. Finding a secure space without ads gives you that confidence that your cherished moments stay private, seen only by the loved ones who truly value them.

4. Engaging all family members

Not everyone will jump in right away, and that’s okay.

Older family members might need some guidance with technology, and younger ones might not see the point yet. But with a bit of patience, most people will find a way to contribute, whether through a voice recording, sharing a photo, or telling a story. Or maybe they share their story over a call for someone else to digitise on their behalf.

Don’t worry — not everyone needs to participate. It will still be a great family experience even if there are limited contributors.  

5. Emotional barriers

It’s never easy to relive the tough moments of the past, especially when they bring up deep emotions. But the stories that touch our hearts are often the ones that shape our family. Gently encouraging family members to share their heartfelt stories, so they can be preserved and learned from for years to come.

Often, the best way to achieve this is to lead by example and share your own emotional stories first.

Digital Storytelling Tools and Apps for Preserving Family Stories

Let’s explore the most appropriate digital storytelling platforms for families.

Generic services

The following services are not custom-made for family needs, but do provide a variety of tools that families might find useful.

• Youtube and Vimeo – Video sharing platforms, where you can share your digital stories as videos.
• Canva – An excellent option for making videos or presentations for story preservation.
• Facebook  – Makes sharing personal moments with family and friends easy, but it’s not specifically designed for preserving family histories. Its features allow for quick, casual storytelling through posts and media.
• Google Drive – A simple and accessible cloud storage tool that allows families to share memories and documents. It’s not designed for storytelling but is helpful for storing and sharing digital content like photos and videos.
• Adobe Spark – A professional service, often used in education.

Customised services for families

The following platforms provide families with a secure and easy way to preserve and share their memories through digital storytelling. Whether it’s pictures, videos, or stories from our lives, each service helps you keep those special memories safe. 

• Lifetales – We like how they focus on preserving family stories for future generations.
• MyFamilyArchive – As the name suggests, this is a great place to build an archive of media files for your family. We like the fact that you can build your family tree too.
• MemoryKPR – Used by families and businesses alike with all the tools needed to create interactive stories. 
• Inalife – An excellent option for sharing memories and messages with your family. 
• Storychest – A simple-to-use app for uploading media and sharing stories with your family.
• Simirity – Our family’s offering! We wanted to preserve our stories using digital storytelling tools, and we wanted it to be a fun and rewarding experience for our entire family. Read on to learn more.

Simirity – the Home of Digital Family Stories

Simirity helps families feel deeply connected by turning memories into a collaborative digital storytelling project.

— Andrew Ronald (Founder)

Simirity makes digital storytelling easy and includes all the necessary digital tools to tell your family’s stories. It includes familiar social media elements, like media files, comments and emojis, but encourages deeper discussions too, with features like Life-Lessons that help families support each other. 

Your interactive stories in Simirity can include many different elements, including Vimeo and Youtube videos, Spotify playlists and podcasts, and maps to pin your family’s special places.

How Our Family Use Digital Storytelling to Feel Close

Before using Simirity:

• We would share photos, which was great, but it wasn’t the same as knowing the stories behind the photos. The volume could be a bit overwhelming at times, and we still didn’t really know what was going on in each other’s lives! Nor how we could support each other through hard times…
• We shared messages regularly and used emojis as a quick way to show we were ‘there’. But it was all a bit superficial — not quality interactions, but better than nothing.
• We had video ‘catchup’ calls each week, but we would never be able to get everyone on the call at the same time. Children find it hard to stay engaged in the calls, and busy schedules meant timing group calls was tricky. We also tended to talk about the same old topics.
• We rarely talked about the past or the things that really mattered. The focus was all on the present — what we had just done and what we will be doing in the coming week. Exploring our past or planning ahead for the future was overlooked. 

Today, with Simirity:

• The events that matter in our lives, ranging from days out to seemingly trivial updates about fun things the children said, are shared in more detail and preserved in Simirity. By replacing the endless photo reel with stories, we gained valuable insights into the lives of our loved ones. And we relax in the knowledge that we can revisit them later.
• We still share messages and have our video calls — they are convenient and practical solutions. But now we have so many more interesting topics to discuss, not just take turns sharing our latest updates.
• When my sister and I think of questions about our parent’s past or ancestors, we send them a digital ‘Story Request’. Happily, we no longer fear losing these irreplaceable family stories!
• Simirity normalised talking about the past and sharing the lessons learned from the hard times we faced. These topics are so much more interesting and have made us feel closer than ever as we bond over subjects that truly matter.

Examples of Digital Storytelling in Families

For various digital storytelling examples, mainly video, visit Storychasers.

Simirity stories are not presented as videos, which means they can be made far more quickly. They are assembled from story blocks ranging from text to audio to video and more. View an example story in Simirity showcasing blocks in action.

How to Get Your Family Started With Digital Storytelling

Getting your family into digital storytelling can start with just a single memory.

1. Pick a story: Start with a simple family memory — a holiday, a fun moment, or a cherished tradition. 
2. Choose what to include: Decide if you want to use photos, videos, voice recordings, or a mix to capture the story.
3. Share it easily: Share it with a few family members using a platform like Simirity, which is easy to use and free to try.
4. Encourage involvement: Now you have shown an example encourage other family members to add their stories too.
5. Make it a habit: Set aside regular time to share new stories, whether weekly or monthly, to build a family archive.
6. Explore the past: Ask older relatives to share their memories, creating a rich family history that’s documented for future generations.

With Simirity’s free account, you can easily connect with all your family, create and share digital stories and even request stories from your family on topics you would love them to write about.

Don’t let your family’s stories slowly fade away over time. Start today!

FAQs About the Use of Digital Storytelling in Families

What technical equipment do we need?

You don’t need any special video editing software, technical tools, or complicated hardware and software to get started. You only need your phone, and everything else can be done with simple apps and platforms.

Can we involve family members who aren’t tech-savvy?

This will vary from platform to platform, depending on the complexity. In Simirity, once you’ve gotten past the initial account setup, they can assign administrators to their account, making their experience much more manageable. For example, they can create stories with co-authors or even allow others to write stories on their behalf. 

How can we encourage older relatives to share their stories?

Be patient and encouraging. Share your memories first in a story so they have an example to work from and make them feel more comfortable. Reassure them in conversations that their stories are important for you and why they are important — whether they’re big life lessons or fun stories from their past.

Can digital storytelling help with Alzheimer’s?

Yes. Capturing their stories through videos, photos, and voice recordings provides a way to relive those memories later, offering comfort and connection when their memories fade.

How can we make storytelling engaging for children?

Keep it simple and exciting — use a mix of visuals, music, and their own voice to make stories come alive. Encouragethem to share their stories, making it a fun and personal experience.

What if we’re not good at writing or storytelling?

You don’t have to be a creative writer! Digital storytelling is for everyone, allowing you to capture memories in ways that feel comfortable for you — whether through photos, videos, or even a quick voice recording.

How often should we add to our digital family story collection?

Start by adding stories when it feels right — big events, memorable moments, or even the small things. The more often you share, the richer your collection becomes, creating a lasting legacy of memories.

How is Simirity different to other services?

Simirity is unique as it’s specifically designed to strengthen family bonds through the power of digital storytelling. Learn more about how we compare with alternatives.

How private and safe are our family stories?

In today’s digital world, privacy and security are top priorities. Each platform is different so you will need to do your research. For family stories, we recommend using a private platform like Simirity, where your data isn’t shared with third parties, and you’re in complete control of who can access your stories. 

Who could access our digital stories?

Refer to the details provided by your platform.

In Simirity, the privacy of your stories is paramount, and you have complete control over who can access your stories. You may publish a story for your eyes only, assign it to multiple individuals or groups, or share it with all Simirity contacts. You even have the option as a publisher to share your story outside of Simirity on platforms like Facebook or X.

Can we create stories together?

This varies from platform to platform. In Simirity, multiple family members can co-author the same story, making it easy to finalise that family holiday story in record time.

Is there a way to turn digital stories into physical keepsakes?

Different platforms offer different printing services. In Simirity, at present you cannot print a book based on your stories as there are so many digital elements like videos and voice recordings that cannot be printed. However, all the elements of your stories can be downloaded upon request.

Which features are important for family storytelling?

Platforms offering the following features will ensure you can cover a range of digital narratives within your family. 

• Easy-to-use platform: A user-friendly interface that makes creating and sharing stories simple for all family members, regardless of tech skills.
• Multimedia support: Integrating photos, videos, voice recordings, and text to create stories that your family can immerse themselves in. 
• Privacy controls: Options to limit who can view or contribute to family stories, so that sensitive stories are not made public.
• Searchability: A searchable database to quickly find specific stories or or types of stories from your collection.
• Cloud storage: Secure, long-term storage for preserving stories, ensuring they are safe from data loss.
• Cross-device access: The ability to access and share digital stories across multiple devices (smartphones, tablets, computers).

It’s not a must-have feature, but to make the most of the digital stories created, a memory reminder feature would ensure that your family’s past is woven into daily life. 

Simirity provides all these features.

Where did digital storytelling originate from?

Digital storytelling is a short form of digital media production that allows everyone to create and share compelling stories online, even without professional tools and skills.