ABSTRACT
When studying children’s experiences and understandings of mobility, I strongly felt that interview as a method was insufficient. This led me to do participant observation and to try alternative fieldwork methods, including storycrafting and drawing with the children. The chapter discusses the experiences of using storycrafting as a method with Estonian children (aged three to fourteen) living in Finland. The use of storycrafting focuses on asking the child to tell a story, which the researcher writes down word by word, then reading it aloud to the child after which the child may correct the story until s/he is content with the outcome. My colleague and I modified this method slightly, i.e. we worked with small groups, mainly two to four children, and gave the children a certain broad theme for the story. Storycrafting is a method that innovatively combines facts with fiction, offering new insights into the experiences of mobile children through a twist that combines the real and the imaginable. We have found this method challenging but fruitful, providing children an easier way to talk about their personal experiences and emotions through imaginative stories. Working in groups also allows for children to negotiate their experiences with each other.
