How you can Teach your Child The Art of Storytelling
Stories have fascinated people for centuries – they bring us together, help transport us into parallel worlds, and let us forget all our anxieties. For kids too, stories have a multitude of benefits – right from improving their language skills and widening the expanse of their imagination to also improving their writing and public speaking! But how can you teach this art to your child?
Here are some excellent ways to make your child a little storyteller who spellbinds everyone with his lovely tales!
1. Be a Good and Excited Storyteller Yourself
Kids love through imitation and no one inspires them more than Mamma! If you make storytelling a part of the daily routine – at bed time, during family time, etc. – he will be encouraged to take the initiative to tell stories himself. Make sure your stories are a good mix – fiction, tales from daily life, anecdotes, etc.
2. Take Them to Storytelling Events
These events are often organised by libraries, the mall, at community functions, etc. Watching a good storyteller in action draws your child in and makes the prospect look exciting enough for him to try it out on his own! Trained storytellers use fascinating expressions, intonations and figures of speech – all of which excite your kids.
3. Pick the Right Stories That Are Easy and Interesting to Tell
It may not be a good idea to have your kids memorize too much text at the outset. Instead, try stories that have a repeating streak – such a chorus note, a dialogue, etc. – and lots of scope for expression and involvement from the audience. In fact, the more the involvement from the audience, the more encouraged your child feels! A great idea for this is string-along stories where every audience member adds their bit to take the story further. You can even take help from wordless books that require you to cook up a story based on the illustrations.
4. Encourage Them to Use Body Language and Expressions
A story becomes so much more interesting when the narrator puts his heart and soul into it – the right facial expressions, eye movement, arm gestures, intonation in the voice, etc. If you think this sounds too complicated for young kids, they are actually experts at throwing themselves into a tale! No more has the capability to be more animated than your child, if only you encourage him to.
5. Make Storytelling A Daily Activity So They Get Enough Practice
There’s no shortcut to learning a skill but practising it every day! You must take time every day to help them practise. This will also ensure they lose their stage fright or the nervousness they feel when they need to talk in front of other people. Plus, it helps them develop better memory which is a necessary skills when the story involves details or conversations. During the practice, you need to participate fully too by giving constructive feedback.
6. Enrol Your Kids in A Storytelling Class
If you perceive your child to be taking particular interest in this art and want to nurture his skills further, consider enrolling him in a hobby class that focuses on reading, writing and speaking skills. There are a number of classes available that focus on public speaking, reading stories out loud, facial expressions, etc.
