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Choose from these exciting, original kids’ audio stories.
Clem
the Detective Dog “TallTales Audio’s stories are
wonderful to listen to — they keep the whole family engaged
and have great lessons.” Storytelling Tips Welcome to Storytelling |
How to Create Your Own Family Storytelling Tradition Although it may be obvious, the key to successful storytelling is to tell stories kids want to hear. Fortunately, there are loads of ways to create compelling stories (see our Storytelling Tips for ideas). But one of the best is to put your kids at the center of a story they are sure to like — making friends with a dinosaur, traveling to outer space, driving a garbage truck, swimming with mermaids, or setting up a hospital to rescue sick monkeys — it makes little difference as long as you, in your role of storyteller, have created a world your little listeners want to enter. And your story will be even more successful if your listeners closely identify with a key character — ideally, so closely that they imagine they are that character.
Bedtime is a common time for family storytelling — for example, you might set aside 20 minutes before lights out several times a week to tell stories. Since at bedtime, you obviously want to prepare children for sleep, it’s best to create storytelling rituals that will encourage this. Get busy things done (like teeth brushing and school clothes laid out) before snuggling in bed, a big chair, or a comfy sofa at the same time each storytelling evening. Then dim the lights, as you begin each storytelling session with the same comfortable phrases. “It was a long time ago in a strange and distant land … “ or “Once upon a time when … “ or “Come with me into the magic time machine.” But bedtime isn’t the only time for family storytelling, especially if you want to encourage youngsters to be storytellers. Telling stories at meal time or family time can work brilliantly, as long as you eliminate electronic distractions. Again, this works best if you establish your family story times in advance. For example, you might create a Saturday morning story time just after breakfast and before the day’s activities take on a life of their own. And storytelling doesn’t need to take place just at home. Driving in the car (especially on long trips) or eating at your favorite restaurant can also be good storytelling times, and have their own sources of inspiration (the giant truck you pass on the freeway, the Chinese fortune cookie). Camping trips are especially great for storytelling, ideally a campfire at night (see our fireside storytelling tips for ideas). You can also make storytelling a regular part of extended family gatherings or vacations. You can do this around themes — “the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to me,” for example. Imagine how exciting it is for a six-year old to hear her 86-year old great grandmother tell an embarrassing story from 80 years before. To help your kids catch the storytelling bug, tell them lots of stories. While you’ll obviously want to tailor your tales to your audience, as storyteller, you’ll still have plenty of subject matter — exciting sports, talking animals, super-kids who change history, weird kids who become regular kids, and of course, the old standbys — ghosts, pirates, princesses, and space explorers. Telling a story your kids really want to hear is only partially about the subject matter. How you tell the story is also crucial. Using voices for key characters and having your story speed up and slow down so as to create excitement can make a huge difference in holding the listener’s attention. For example, if Jackie, your story’s eight-year old heroine, climbs up a twisty stairs to a dark attic to try to find the source of a weird scratching noise, you’ll want to slow your delivery way down — and change the tone of your voice — so that every creak and crack becomes mega-scary. And when Jackie finally opens the squeaking attic door, you’ll want to slow things down even more so that finally, when she hears a meowing noise and finds a kitten behind a trunk in the corner, your little listeners will breathe a huge sigh of relief. You’ll know your stories are being appreciated when your children ask to have their own turn as storyteller. Don’t be surprised (and do be flattered) if they begin their storytelling career by retelling slightly modified versions of your tales. Or their stories may be based on something they recently heard at school, read in a book, or saw on TV, online, or in a movie. By praising their first efforts and keeping your own stories coming, you’ll likely be surprised at how quickly your children pass through the mimicry stage and begin to get in deeper touch with their own imaginations. As a result, your children’s storytelling will become longer, richer, better focused, and more creative. And you can be the one to sit back and enjoy a great story! ©2007 TallTales Audio |
