Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Works for Me Wednesday - Storytelling

My kids, like most, enjoy having books read aloud. We read a lot.

But sometimes the kids want something a bit different - they want something a bit more "personal". Thus began "The George Chronicles", (very) loosely based on my grandfather named George, who was in the Canadian Air Force many moons ago.

The boy especially likes the George Stories - b/c he loves anything with a hint of military-ness.

It seems like I had not told a George Story in about a year - when this week the boy started begging for one. And he wanted it to be a paratrooper George Story. Finally today we lay down on the bed (b/c a made up story requires one to be very comfy - you can even close your eyes - just be careful not to fall asleep!) and the story began.

I was only part way through the story when the boy interrupted me. Not uncommon by any means, he is very active in the story - filling in details, correcting me if need be (like when I kept talking about Doug - one of George's buddies - and the boy piped up that well Doug shouldn't be there b/c he was dead...apparently he died in one of the stories I told a yr or so ago). But this time he interrupted me and said "You are the best storyteller I ever have heard"!

So - what Works for Me? Storytelling. Why? It can happen anywhere. Waiting in line. Waiting in the doctor's office. Snuggled up in bed as a wee one is falling asleep. It encourages imagination - and sets an example for young future storytellers. You can personalize it with little Jimmy's name, little Jimmy as the hero etc. A good way to keep the little ones close at hand and out of mischief while YOU are sick in bed and can't do much other than talk (like I said you can even do it with your eyes closed).

I know when I was a little girl, I loved having my mom come into our room in the evening to tell us stories...some were true stories of when she was a little girl...some were made up stories...some a bit scary - but all very fun.

For more Works for Me Wednesday tips - head on over to Rocks in My Dryer.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

We love storytelling as well! My husband is so good at it...he comes up with such fun plots.

TuTu's Bliss said...

I do this too..we have a purple mongoose and a glitter dragon. You can use photobuckets free software to actually put them in their stories..Hugs, Jen

Jennifer said...

I wish I was better at storytelling... my husband says I ramble a lot. My toddler doesn't usually mind though. :)

Edi said...

The amazing thing about storytelling (at least in my experience with children under 10) - is that a whole lot of skill is not required! It's OK to ramble - it's OK to change the story mid-stream - it's OK NOT to finish the story the same day...sometimes "To be continued" stories are the most fascinating b/c it gives the listener something to look forward to. Also - I don't think through my stories ahead of time - so they definitely ramble!

Phyllis Sommer said...

so true. my kids love to help control the story, too...and it's easy to make up simple stories that are still riveting to a 3year old.

Fairion said...

We love storytelling at our house too. It is perfect for those times when books don't work, namely the car. It is such fun to watch how the storytelling process changes as Froggy gets older. She now will tell stories to her dolls.

Kelly said...

Oh, I was hoping this was a tip on HOW to tell good stories! I'm SO bad at it... I get stressed out trying to figure out where I'm taking the story and I can never find ways to make it interesting... my husband can make my son laugh hysterically with his stories... mine are fine, but I hate that I really dislike telling them. :-( I wish I LIKED telling them, and that I was GOOD at it!