Family Storytelling Tips

Choose from these exciting, original kids’ audio stories.

Tall Tales Audio CD Audiobooks

Clem the Detective Dog
Ralphie The Gopher
Sheriff Daisy & Deputy Bud
Rainbow of the Sioux
The Monotonia Chronicles
Tibbodnock Stories
Fiona the Smart Ghost
Ivan the Not-So-Terrible
Nikki the Invisible Girl
Sarabel to the Rescue

“Before my son discovered TallTales Audio and other audio stories he used to wake up at 6 a.m. and then wake us up. Now he just puts on a favorite story C.D. and lets my wife and I sleep another hour.”
—Ely Newman, Dad, Berkeley, Ca

Storytelling Tips

Listen to storytelling podcasts (fun for parents and kids) or subscribe to free TallTales Audio podcasts at the iTunes Store.

Fireside Storytelling

One of the best ways to get kids excited about storytelling is to light a fire. Whether on a camping trip, around a fire pit in your backyard or on your deck, or in front of your living room fireplace, telling stories by firelight is sure to be a memorable experience. And if you have no way to safely light a fire, you can create much the same effect by closing the curtains, turning off everything electrical, and firing up a few candles.

Here are some ideas that should make your fireside or candlelit storytelling memorable.

Make sure you have the necessary fire-making materials at hand and know what you are doing. There are few things more disappointing than a fire that won’t start. (If you are a novice, see this link for excellent instructions.)
Emphasize safety at every stage, especially when it comes to lighting the fire. Reliable older kids can be trusted with matches, but absolutely keep them out of the hands of youngsters, who may think lighting a fire is so much fun they might be tempted to try it on their own.
Prepare a snack to serve after the first few stories. Toasting marshmallows or making S’mores (sandwiches of graham crackers, toasted marshmallows, and chocolate) can be fun if you don’t mind your kids having a junk food treat. For this classic recipe, plus some healthy alternatives, see this link. But again, no matter what’s on your menu, emphasize and teach fireside safety. For outdoor campfires, it’s best to have an adult or older teen supervise each small child.
Wherever you are, but especially if you are at home, turn off all phones and pagers. And kill all lights, even the tiny ones on clocks, computers, and other electronic gizmos. We can’t tell you why storytelling is so much more fun in the absence of electricity, but it unquestionably is.
Look around you for storytelling inspiration. On a camping trip, the log you’re sitting on or a nearby tree or lake is home to a load of tiny creatures that can star in your stories. And the moon, the sound of the wind, or the hoot of an owl can all be clever sources of stories.
If you’re at home in front of your fireplace, use the sofa pillows to make a throne for your child’s favorite doll who will now be in the perfect position to turn into a real-life princess. Or if instead you’re telling stories by candelight, think about how you can feature the candlestick holders. Perhaps they came from a pirate’s treasure chest found at the bottom of the ocean.
Telling tales by a fire in the dark, especially if you are outdoors, will make scary stories far more frightening. Every noise and every shadow, and especially the dark world beyond the firelight, can add to a child’s sense of menace. So it’s best to keep your fireside stories light and humorous – at least until you can gauge younger kids’ reactions.
But for older children, who clamor for terrifying tales, you’ll want to treat the black world beyond the firelight as your best storytelling friend. Remember, when the right mood is set, anything from a creeping zombie to a headless ghost can be lurking just a few feet away.
Pretend you live many hundreds, or even thousands, of years ago when fire was the only source of light, warmth, and cooking. This can set the stage for a great tale about how your group or tribe got fire in the first place and kept it burning through all sorts of difficulties.
Encourage kids to tell fireside stories. Even youngsters who may have resisted storytelling at other times may join in, especially if other children participate. Not only does the fire itself help create a receptive storytelling space, but you have also eliminated the many electronic distractions that often get in the way.
Try a round-robin story where you begin a tale and each person around the fire takes a turn continuing it. As with any group endeavor, this risks a measure of confusion (a hedgehog may suddenly be yanked out of its home in Green Meadow and deposited on the other side of Pluto). Just relax and go with the fun. Before long most kids will learn how to both hold a story line and use their imaginations.
Tell stories from and about memorable campfires when you were a kid – perhaps when your grandfather told you a riveting fireside story about his grandfather’s adventures with a huge bear. For example, TallTales storyteller Jake Warner tells a hilarious story about a long ago visit to Yosemite when he was telling a made-up bear story only to have a real bear sneak into camp and steal a loaf of bread.
Talk about camping trips you took as a child and all the funny things that happened, like the time your dad burned the pancakes and you ate cookies and chips for breakfast. Since almost everything that happens outdoors is exciting to kids, it’s a perfect setting to regale them with similar goofy misadventures.