Storytelling for Children

Storytelling for children is usually dependent on having kids’ story books available. Do you always need supplies for storytelling with children? Audio tapes, CD’s and books all have their place, but they are not always convenient.

Here are three places you will be glad that you don’t have to rely on “things” to keep your child’s mind engaged:

1. Driving in the car
So, what if you forget the pile of DVD movies? What if every one of them is scratched? It is easy when we are driving to want to lull our kids into obedience with mindless watching of kiddie videos. And, sometimes, safety requires it.

However, there are plenty of times that we can tell stories in the car. When it’s safe to do so, turn the radio off and ask your kids, “Do you want me to tell you a story?” Then you can speak your stories back to the little monkeys behind you; taking those momentary glances into the mirror to catch some fleeting eye contact.

When you have done this enough times, the question you will ask will turn into, “Which story do you want me to tell?” And you’ll be asked for encore presentations.

(Learn more about bookless storytelling when you get the DaddyTeller book by Sean Buvala.)

2. At the doctor’s office
Who hasn’t been stuck in a pediatrician’s office with a bored child? Even in a circus-like doctor’s waiting room filled with distractions, your child can grow weary and cranky. This is the perfect time to bring out a tale from your head and become a child whisperer as you tell that story right into their ear. By the way, it’s okay if you tell it a bit louder than that. The other parents in the office are going to be wishing they had your great skill as they see that even their kids are listening to YOU tell a story.

3. Bedtime
You might ask, “Isn’t bedtime the bastion of storybooks? Aren’t there always books available?” If you have burned out on children’s’ storybooks and cannot find that darn “goodnight to the moon book,” you will be thanking me for this tip. Learn to tell bedtime stories from your heart and mind. You’ll enjoy having a few minutes of actually looking into the eyes of your child instead of the ink on the page. You will revel in watching your kids faces as they seem to live the words you speak to them in story. Bedtime isn’t just for books- you can’t build a relationship with a book. Why should the intimacy of bedtime kids stories be missed while you are glued to the page?

As parents we develop many innate skills. Storytelling for children, sans the kids’ story books, should be one of them.

***
Sean Buvala invites you to learn more about storytelling with children in his book, “DaddyTeller.” Get free stories and training videos when you visit his website at http://www.daddyteller.com.

Tags: automobile, bedtime, daddyteller, doctor, kids audio books, pediatrician

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 1st, 2010 at 6:11 pm and is filed under daddyteller, StoryTelling Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.