When I was younger, I loved making up stories about fictional characters – princesses, fairies, superheroes, talking animals, basically anything I could think of. As I grew up, I didn’t just think them. I chronicled them by drawing them and writing the stories down. Simple as it was, I think it was one of the many reasons why I grew up to be a creative individual. I liked telling stories!

Many kids (and even toddlers nowadays) continue making their stories when they play, but most of the time they shut down and stop when adults are around. This may be due to embarrassment or fear of ridicule. This is something I think we should overcome.

Image via Parentingnation.org

If you have kids, have nieces, nephews, younger siblings or students, I think it’s still important to teach them to actually tell stories. Storytelling is a practice that promotes the development of language skills, stirs the imagination and fosters a love for reading. and here’s how you can coax the inner storyteller out of any child:

You can’t expect a child to actually tell stories if they haven’t been told stories to. Expose them to a great number of books, visit libraries, go to storytelling meetings. Pick books that are age appropriate and complete, with an actual beginning, middle and ending.

Be expressive when you tell any story. Kids need to see what goes into telling that story, and that involves throwing their whole body into it – from facial expression, to voice volume (you need to allow them to be loud) to the type of eye contact they give, and they can learn this from you.

From time to time, steer away from books and start a game, where you begin the story and ask your kids to string along. What’s important in this game is that the person who follows through with the story, should say something connected to the first sentence. What’s great about this is that it actually goes beyond creative thinking – it also helps kids become active listeners, too.

Print out photos – or get wordless books, when you can. Photos are a wonderful tool for telling stories because they provide a setting or a point where kids can start off from. A picture can provide inspirational cues that can move the imagination.

Be consistent in your efforts and practice regularly – not just when your child is about to join a storytelling contest. Start as early as possib;e. You can start reading books with toddlers, and then involve them in creating their own stories as they grow older. Consistency is key here – but remember, it should be a fun experience, too. If your child gets tounge tied or can’t think of anything to string to what you just said, it’ doesn’t have to be a big deal.

Are you a storyteller? What prompted you to start? When did you learn to love doing so? Feel free to share in the comments below.

Cheers,

Nani Nani Kids