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The Universe is Made of Stories

The universe is made of stories, not atoms.

-Muriel Rukeyser

The process of sharing stories through oral storytelling is an age old tradition amongst families of many cultures but does it have a place in our busy modern day family life?

I think it does.

When a baby is born we spend a lot of time talking to him/her. Talking about what we are doing, what we have done, what we are planning to do. These everyday stories are fascinating to a baby and you can often see them looking and listening attentively to the speaker, mimicking their facial gestures and, eventually, trying to interact by making verbal noises in response to the storyteller.

Storytelling, the process of sharing stories without the aid of a book, with toddlers and older children continues this process of developing attentive listening through a more person to person interaction than that involved in reading a book. The voice and gesture of the storyteller becomes the focus and so the teller and listener turn towards each other rather than outwards towards the book, and the words without pictures allow the listener space to create their own imaginary interpretation of the story being shared.

Some strategies for sharing oral stories with young children…
– Remember it is the tone of your voice, followed by facial expressions and gestures which engage your child with the story. As Mark Twain said;

“Don’t say the old lady screamed – bring her on and let her scream.”

– Choose a quiet time without distractions, so you aren’t competing to capture their attention and imagination, to develop a routine of storytelling time.

– Include your child as a character in the story. Toddlers particularly love stories about themselves and the activities of their day.

– Share a story from your own childhood or personal history. Family stories teach children about their heritage and those told and re-told around the dinner table or at family gatherings become part of your shared family history, likely to be passed from one generation to the next.

– If you are not confident to make up your own story, start with your own adaptation of a traditional fairy tale. Immy currently loves listening to both Goldilocks and the Three Bears and Cinderella.

– Once they are capable, encourage you child to share their own story. As short as their initial attempts will be, I promised you will find them highly entertaining.

– Nursery rhymes, jingles, poems and chants are like short versions of stories which children can easily join you in sharing.

– Simple dress ups, puppets or felt pieces on a felt board can be used as simple props to assist you in your storytelling attempts.

– Stories can help older children understand new experiences or emotions, expanding their understanding of the world and human interactions.

– Although no replacement for the face to face benefits of storytelling, websites such as AudioOwl and StoryNory offer a range of children’s audio stories which are great as a tool for developing attentive listening skills.

What is your favourite story to tell?

Photo source

Christie Burnett is an early childhood teacher, presenter, writer and the editor of Childhood 101. More importantly, she is a Mum who believes wholeheartedly in the value of children learning through play, the importance of quality early education, and the togetherness of family.

Filed Under: Literacy, Preschool Play

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Read the comments or scroll down to add your own:

  1. amandab says

    July 18, 2010 at 11:26 AM

    Princess and Dadda make up their bedtime stories whenever he is home for them. All the teddies on the bed get involved, and she very quickly realized that "Ollie Owl" was a substitute for herself. His adventures tend to be about the activities of her day, and she is happy to correct where necessary, narrate and interact with the characters also. It's nice to alternate this with Mumma reading from books (which I am much more comfortable with), and it is quickly becoming her preferred form of bedtime storytelling.
  2. MaryAnne says

    July 18, 2010 at 11:31 AM

    I love this post - I think stories and storytelling are very important!
  3. Marita says

    July 18, 2010 at 11:35 AM

    I love audio books for car travel, a long journey can seem very short if you are listening to a great story.

    We have an on again off again bedtime story for Annie where she and Nana go to the shops, we take turns talking about which shop they went to, what they purchased. With each addition you have to repeat the previous parts of the story. So it becomes a memory game too :)
  4. Zoe @ Playing by the book says

    July 18, 2010 at 8:20 PM

    How funny, i've just commented on another blog about how I wish I could do oral storytelling, but just don't have the confidence. I (even as an adult) love listening to storytellers, but it seems like a huge leap for me to make even though we read books by the dozen. The few times I've tried it one thing I've realised is that I need to do it when I'm not feeling at all tired (ha ha) as it requires more energy on my behalf. And you're so right - including my daughters in the stories is always a hit!
  5. Miss Carly says

    July 19, 2010 at 1:27 AM

    Great post. Storytelling is something that I think a lot of teachers forget about.
  6. Marnee says

    July 19, 2010 at 3:08 AM

    Nate loves us to make up stories he now adds Piper (6months) as a character. You've inspired me to pull out the puppet box this afternoon.... I think we'll all enjoy making up some sotries!
    A favourite in our house is "there were 10 in the bed" we've been using the teddies on the lounge to tell the story and sometimes mummy Nate and Piper all in the bed...I love that Nate wants Piper to be the little one(size awareness)
  7. Deb Chitwood @ Living Montessori Now says

    July 19, 2010 at 3:42 AM

    Great ideas! I find the art of storytelling fascinating. Right now, I’m excited about a Montessori-oriented program called Godly Play, which uses storytelling to bring Bible stories and religion to life for children.
  8. Colin Wee says

    July 19, 2010 at 9:38 AM

    That's a good post.

    I tell my children stories from my own childhood just before they go to bed. Invariably there're either lessons attached or chuckles to be shared. It's a nice way to bond with the kids and to share your life with them.

    Cheers.

    Colin
  9. CatWay says

    July 19, 2010 at 9:52 AM

    Stories about my childhood or my husband's childhood are a big hit at my house, although I am terrible at embellishing stories.
    You are also making me think that a story might be what I need to be thinking about to help my eldest son talk about the death of a family friend we have just experienced.
  10. Julie says

    July 19, 2010 at 10:20 AM

    Brilliant. This is something I haven't really started with my little ones. They love having the book as a prop and aid to discussion. I will have to try this with my 2 year old.
  11. PlanningQueen says

    July 20, 2010 at 1:27 AM

    Kids really to love oral stories. We call them a "told story" at home. The eldest called them this and they have just stuck. I have also found them a really useful way to sneak a little message into them as well. It could be a story about when I was little and how I feel when the bigger kids wouldn't let me play them. I don't do it too heavily, so as to ruin the joy of the story, just enough to extract some empathy.
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