A Storytellers Guide: How Story Time Should Be

Is your child getting the most out of Story Time?

I’m sorry to say, but if you are going about it like most people, then the answer is no.

Yet, there is one method that will expand a child’s imagination, skyrocket their creativity and allow you an in depth insight into their psychology.

Don’t get me wrong, if you partake in Story Time in any form, whether you are a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, teacher or babysitter, you are doing it right and your children will be all the better for it.

That said, when it comes to children, we must always look for the best path to venture, even if it is the path less traveled upon.

We shall examine two examples of Story Time. Two that I myself have tested, with a group of restless children who normally do not pay attention.

Example One

The first example is perhaps one that you are familiar with. An hour before bedtime, you have them pick a book. Perhaps if they are the ones to choose the title, they will be more likely to pay attention.

Let’s pretend…they all agree on the same title. If there are both boys and girls, this will rarely be the case. Yet in the realm of this example, we only deal in the ideal and ideally, none sit idle fantasying when they should be listening.

You read the story in the best way possible. Your voice rises and falls at the proper moments — momentarily pausing for effect as you knock dramatically just as the character in the stories knocks.

You leap out of your seat as you narrate an epic scene in real time just as the character in the story performs. You stub your toe and want to stop to attend to your wound, but the story Is not yet finished.

The children are at the edge of their seats listening to hear what happens next and in a sudden rush of bravery, you hold off on the ice and push through, even though it means you’ll have to deal with the throbbing toe for just a little bit longer.

Then you reach the end. The perfect conclusion to the best kind of story. The children go to bed smiling. Perhaps they even learned a lesson. All in all, they now have another story that they may think fond memories on for years to come.

Example Two

Example two, on the other hand, is a beast of a different sort.

Let us rewind back, to an hour before bedtime. Each child before you holds up a book that they would have you read to them.

You search the faces of these children. You feel a sudden moment of panic. Panic, because you know whichever book you choose, someone will be disappointed — yet there is also panic on a deeper level. Your eyes go wide as you realize, these children have grown so much since your last Story Time, that you don’t even know who they are anymore.

But you do not freight. You fear not — You smile in the face of this new challenge, for you have a plan.

You know, that if you read any given book to them. They would of course enjoy it. You are good at what you do, after all. But there might be a moment when one of the children is not engaged. They fantasize, staring off into space about one thing or another. This is inevitable. You know this. Yet, how do you use it to your advantage?

You make up your mind, “Put aside the books and sit well, ” You speak in your most ominous voice, “For I have a story to tell.”

You set the stage for a quest. For an adventure. For a tale, the likes of which these kids are about to partake on.

You speak gravely, of the threat that is looming darkness over a far away kingdom.

You speak soft, almost a whisper, so much so that the children must be silent as stone or else miss it.

You speak proud. Uplifting a sense of pride in the hearts of the faces before you.

Then you say nothing at all and you give them the story. And you watch in awe, as you see where they take it. Now and then, you chime in, giving them guidelines — a path to follow, but the way they get there is simply amazing.

You set obstacles, and they work together to solve them in ways that you haven’t even considered.

They happen across a poor old merchant man, and you gain insight into how their minds work, as rather than simply buying or selling, they invite him to dinner and you reward them in turn for their kindness.

Or perhaps they do something, that is not kind. Something that they think is alright because the world they live in makes light of that type of thing — but not in your story. You give them real consequences for their decisions, and you see as they realize the fault in their ways.

Conclusion

In the first example, when the story is finished, there is no question.

Yet in the second, there is no true end. The children create characters, and use those same characters indefinitely. Even if a story ends, there is another waiting for them in the next town over.

In the first example, the children merely listen. Some perhaps getting distracted.

In the second however, the children are interacting. They are engaging in the story itself. There is not daydreaming or fantasizing, because the entire process involves applied fantasizing. You facilitate their imagination toward a given task, and see as their creative critical thought gets applied in new ways.

Not only that, but it’s genuinely fun for these children. You’ll find that whenever you are together, they are asking to continue their quest. Even when you are not around, rather than sitting in front of a television or playing video games, they are huddled together adventuring in their own, always eager to fill you in on what you missed.

Both of these examples of Story Time are vital for the development of children. Both yield results that the other might lack.

Only example two however, indicates to you on what type of behavior these children will display in any given social interaction — whilst allowing you to reinforce acceptable responses and providing consequences for wrong actions in the scope of the story before they show up in the real world.

In addition, it demonstrates to you, how they think critically when problem solving in an environment that has limited or specific resources available.

Too often in the real world, we must problem solve in the realm of reality. Yet if children are brought up thinking in an environment that is not limited by the laws of physics, it may be able to provide future out of the box thinking skills vital to any occupation.

This role playing strategy, is a form that has been around for ages. It will bring you closer to the children in your life and give you insight on the type of people they will ultimately become.

So if you have the time, and the courage to take that first step into the unknown with your children, be prepared, for entirely new worlds are about to unfold before your eyes.