This week I’m thrilled to be writing about encouraging your kid’s imagination through storytelling as part of week 4 of the MeMeTales Readathon (on how to join and download this week’s free eBooks read my post on Why You Should Join). After reading this week’s free eBooks, I was inspired to share with you:
10 Tips for Telling Stories that Kids Love.
1. Retell the best stories of all time in your own words.
Fairy tales, myths, and fables all began as oral tradition (meaning that older generations told and re-told these stories perfecting and shaping them for each younger generation.) Revive these stories by telling them to your own children in your own words. Need some inspiration? Try these classics (all available for free though the Kindle app.)
2. Develop a story plot template. Reuse. Reuse. Reuse. Forever.
I have developed several story plots that never fail to entertain my preschooler. One involves a magic fairy that appears right when he drifts off to sleep and transports him to a magical themed land (for example: candy land, glow-in-the-dark land, rubber land). The possibilities are endless, and often I allow him to pick the theme. He also loves stories that have him magically entering fairy tale land or book world and interacting with his favorite characters. Kids never tire of these sorts of stories.
3. Encourage dress-up and pretend play. Let your play develop into a story.
Open ended toys are great for storytelling. Some of our favorites are: play dough, blocks, and sticks from the yard.Toys that encourage pretend play will inspire storytelling too. We love tea sets, paper dolls, stuffed animals and dolls, Fisher Price play sets, trains, and Melissa and Doug wooden toys. Just remember, don’t overload your child with too specific of toys. Encourage your child’s imagination through open ended toys as much as possible. (ex. blocks instead of play food, sticks instead of swords, etc.)Dress-up clothes are worth the dust, space, and money that they cost. Let your kids dress up and act out a story together.
4. Read books worth rereading. Read authors that know how to speak to children.
A random list of some children’s authors that we love: E. Nesbit, C.S. Lewis, J.K. Rowling, James Marshall, Mo Willems, Kevin Henkes, Richard Scarry, and Sally Lloyd-Jones (for Bible stories).
Also, don’t forget to read the imaginative eBooks available on MeMeTales this week for free:
5. Encourage participation.
Kids love storytelling. I often will pause and ask my child questions while telling him a story. For example, if I were to tell him about glow-in-the-dark land using our story template, I might ask “What kinds of food do you think you might eat in a glow-in-the-dark land?” “What would your car look like?” When I ask my child questions like these, I watch his eyes grow large with excitement as his imagination carries him to worlds beyond.
6. Use old magazine pictures, free eBooks, and the pictures on your wall (or computer background) to inspire storytelling.
Sometimes we make up new stories to go with the illustrations in the free eBooks we download. (If you are new to No Twiddle Twaddle, you may be interested in my daily list of free picture eBooks that I compile each day.) Even just one photo can provide the inspiration for an entire story though if you take the time to look for it.
7. Watch and mimic your child’s play and talk.
I’ve heard that the best children’s writers know how to talk and think like children. Watch your kid’s pretend play. Who do they dress up like? What do they pretend? How do they describe the worlds in their imagination. Take their ideas and run with them.
8. Tell a story using your children’s artwork. Chances are they already have a story that their art represents that they can’t wait to tell you.
I have a friend who writes books for customers using their kids’ sketches. Check out her work at Happily Ever After Me, it will inspire you!
9. Start your own oral tradition.
Tell your child your family’s history, your ethnic history, and your religious history. Don’t forget to pass on the family’s tall tales. Make up a couple of your own.
10. Make storytelling part of every day. Have a special time when you always take time for stories, whether you spend a couple minutes cuddled up before bedtime in the dark or swap tales while washing the dishes together.
What would you add to my list? I would love to hear your ideas on how tell stories that kids love!
Bethany
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Disclaimer: I am receiving a free copy of the books that I feature from MeMeTales for writing a weekly post highlighting the Readathon.
I love these, thanks for sharing! I will use these as my daughter gets older!
-Brittany @Love, Play, Learn
Thank you so much, Brittany! : )
Wonderful tips! I love the quote you included!
Thank you!
You are so welcome! I hadn’t thought about thinking like a child when I write.
Brilliant! Every one I read I would think “why didn’t I think of that?!” Great ideas beth!
Thanks, Shannon!
I love your list! My grandmother is an expert storyteller, and I hope to gain a small fraction of her talent someday.
Thank you for sharing with Learning Laboratory, too
Thank you, MaryAnne. I’m sure your grandmother could teach us so much! Thanks for hosting Learning Laboratory. : )
I love to re tell stories to my children which my dad used to tell me. It’s like living them once again and he was very creative!I love to see the delight on their faces and this reminds me of my childhood.
I agree. The look on a child’s face when their imagination is engaged in a story is priceless!
Fantastic suggestions, Bethany! I admit that storytelling doesn’t come naturally to me so these tips are going to be put to very good use in our house. Thank you for sharing!! Malia {Playdough to Plato}
Thanks, Malia. I thought I wasn’t any good at it either, but after just trying I found that my kid loves stories (even if they aren’t very good.) The more you tell though the easier it gets! (By the way, I love your blog. I follow through email. : ))
Storytelling is one of my favorite things. Love your list. I pinned it to my Storytelling board!
Thanks so much, Trisha! I need to go check out your storytelling board!
We go through phases with story telling! And definitely need to do more. Such a lovely way to interact and build memories!
Thank you, RedTedArt. I’m sure your kids love your stories!
I love story telling – but J likes to see pictures at the moment – so I tend to have to draw my stories for him to see and listen to at the same time.
That sounds like fun. Who knows maybe you will write kid books some day with all that practice. : )
Great ideas thank you for sharing them.
Thank you!
Great ideas for making stories more visual
Thanks, I can’t imagine the great stories that you must have come up with using your fairy house!
I loved this post so much and it was so helpful for me that I decided to feature it on my weekly Kid’s Co-op Round up on Friday. I think my readers will be able to learn from it like I did!
-Brittany
http://loveplayandlearn.com
Thanks, Brittany. I can’t wait to see it. I will definitely be stopping by!
what a great post, you have given me some really great ideas – I love the idea of revisiting a theme, and also using magazine pictures to develop a story. Thanks
Thank you, Monko. I hope that these ideas work for you as well as they have worked for us. : )
Great post! My oldest son 3yr loves for me to make up stories for him. My mom started it one night she helped me get him to bed. the great thing is that she did this for me as a child and now I do it for him:-) FSPDT
That sounds sweet. We love storytelling right before bedtime too. : )
Such a comprehensive and well detailed post full of great ideas.
Awww, thanks, Debs!
We need to do this even more. These are great tips!! My son loves hearing stories that I make up… so now I need to get working on telling them!
Great ideas! My little guys would love this! We’d love to invite you to join us at Saturday Show & Tell on Cheerios and Lattes! I know everyone will love your great kid-friendly ideas! Have a great weekend!
Mackenzie
http://www.cheeriosandlattes.com/saturday-show-tell-20/
What great ideas!! I love extending stories, but sometimes struggle. Now I have some inspiration!
These are great ideas. I especially like the idea of re-telling great stories from history in my own words.