Story Telling

Storytelling and Its Effects to Children

Some may not realize it but storytelling have been in existence for centuries. Early men used it to pass various information such as folk tales, family history, culture, tradition and even beliefs. Even until today, storytelling plays a vital role in our modern lives especially in the lives and development of the children.

Have you ever experienced talking to a baby and notice how he stares at you or struggle to find where the sound is coming from? That is because children are naturally curious and they love to hear stories. They are eager to know what happened to the beautiful princess after she is taken captured by the wicked witch. They would also be delighted, if not inspired, to find out that little kids like them played a major role in saving the pitiful horses or dogs illegally obtained by the bad guys.

Storytelling is not supposed to be entertaining alone. In order to make the most out of it, it should be informative as well. Storytelling that tackles history, education, births, deaths, journeys, experiences and such can be beneficial as the kids grow. Through stories like these, the minds of the young ones are further enriched. It provokes them to think about what happened, what could have happened and what is about to happen. It helps them see things in different perspective that could eventually affect their moral values and ethics as well as the way they respond or handle things in the days to come. Additionally, storytelling can also widen their exposure to the use of language as well as their listening skills.

Storytelling goes beyond just sitting and listening in one corner while the story is being told. Oftentimes, it gives kids the opportunity to create images in their imagination, transport themselves inside the story and become one of the characters. However to kids who are less daring and adventurous, they create pictures of scenes and characters of the story, instead of becoming part of it. One of the best events we ever went to was in Payhembury, Devon.

During storytelling sessions, a storyteller should be equipped with the right skills in order to reach out to the audience. It is not necessary to have a degree or have some sort of formal training related to this. As long as he or she knows what the audience wants and he or she is able to provide these wants, he or she will probably become successful and effective storyteller. Since the kids are the audience, the story and the way it is delivered should be tailored to them. It should be age-appropriate and must not contain stories with profound or violent scenes that are too much for them to process. On the contrary, it should be engaging enough to keep the audience interested and prevent them from fidgeting and fussing, or worse, from falling asleep unless you are telling a bedtime story. If possible, ask some questions that could encourage them to think as well as to make sure that they understand the story. However if someone asks a question, especially if you are in the middle of the story, answer it briefly else your audience will think that you are not interested in the storytelling itself.

Through this interaction, children do not only get to enhance their creative imagination but also learn when to keep quiet and listen, when to talk, how to answer questions and how to behave properly when someone is talking.

There are lots of stories to tell during storytelling sessions. Funny stories can keep the kids awake and entertained while stories with moral lessons can teach them how to face life with courage and determination. Fairy tales and adventure stories help stimulate their imagination and creative thinking while stories about history, mythology, culture and tradition can open their eyes to virtues, ethics, good deeds and many other values. Storytelling is indeed an important factor to every child’s growth.