Storytelling with kids will benefit them with better vocabulary, better listening skills, knowledge of story structure, and enhanced imagination, just to name a few. Once you tell stories to children, they’ll want to hear more, and want to make up their own stories. So, here’s what you need to know about storytelling.
Every story has some basic elements.
- Setting
- Characters
- Problem / Actions / Solution
What will give you ideas for these basic elements? Look around you. Find ideas in pictures, books, mail, postcards, and invent a story.
For example, do you see a plant on your desk? Plants might make you think of a rain forest. The setting could be the rain forest.
Look around again. You see a picture of a fairy on the cover of a book. Hmmm, what if the fairies were the main characters, in the rain forest, and they faced a problem — how about the trees and flowers were being cut down?
More storytelling basics on Imagination Soup.
When you tell your story, consider 5 things.
1. Props
2. Dramatic voices
3. Words that create sensory pictures, think hear, see, feel, touch, taste
4. Pantomime and gesture
5. Use puppets
Most of all, have fun. Be silly. Some of my girls favorite stories are their daddy’s mixed-up, silly fairy tales where Cindersmella meets Little Red Poopy Pants. (Sorry, potty humor works every time with them – well, with most kids actually.)
Enjoy the stories!
Once upon a time . . .
