Storytelling is an essential part of learning for kids from a young age. Stories help children develop creative and critical thinking that is instrumental for better learning all through life. And not just that, research has revealed that learning the art of storytelling from a young age has various advantages. Storytelling activities help kids to develop social, people and communication skills. It is also helpful to enhance creative thinking skills in kids. There are multiple ways to get children excited about storytelling and storytelling games.
Here we have listed down six ways to teach the art of storytelling to your children, and try them out today!
1. Get Excited About Storytelling
Nothing gets children excited about something as seeing their parents enthusiastic about it. Learn how to be a captivating storyteller yourself and make storytelling a part of your daily routine. Listening to your stories encourages children to tell stories themselves. You can use your daily storytelling sessions to introduce voice modulation and other storytelling activities for their benefit.
2. Attend Storytelling Events Together
Malls, communities, and libraries often conduct storytelling events for children. Taking your children to storytelling events introduces them to storytelling. These events usually have experienced storytellers who use facial expressions, voice modulation, and intonations to enrapture their audience.
3. Teach Children the Power of Body Language and Expressions
Storytelling is more than narration; it calls for a whole-hearted effort from the storyteller. Good storytellers use body language, facial expressions, and voice modulation. Every time you attend a storytelling event or have a storytelling session at home, talk to your kids about body language and expression. Ask them how they would use this to tell the story better.
4. Practice Practice Practice!
Developing any skill requires constant practice and repetition. Have a daily storytelling activity with your children. Continuous storytelling will develop public speaking skills, and as they slowly lose their stage fear, your children will begin to enjoy storytelling more and more.
5. Hobby Classes
To enhance your children’s storytelling skills, enroll them in a hobby class that focuses on reading, writing, and speaking. This will provide children with a safe environment wherein they can practice their storytelling skills without the fear of judgment. Hobby classes conduct various storytelling activities to get children interested and encourage the participation of every child.
6. Play Storytelling Games
Games are the best way to catch a child’s interest. Various storytelling games help children get accustomed to the activity and keep their attention on stories. These games promote imagination and creative and critical thinking among children.
Key Takeaway
Prepare an outline of a story beforehand. Preparing an overview enhances your understanding of the story and helps you remember the details. Then, present the story in front of an audience and ask for their feedback.
