Encouraging your school age child to spin stories can build his langauge skills
Date :
Monday, June 21 2010
Source:
Autourina Mains
Storytelling can be a very powerful teaching tool for your school age child. Though much research has been conducted on the benefits of storytelling, few people feel comfortable with it. In the Western World, it has almost become a lost art due to the abundance of books. What did we do before we had books to read….we told stories. Storytelling is beneficial on multitude of levels, including:
- Emotional development
- Language and listening skills
- Imagination
- Increase vocabulary
- Cultural awareness and appreciation
- Recording family history
- The ability to make mental images is an important skill for reading because it links the reader to the text in more personal and memorable ways
- It is interactive and co-creative
- Character building (values and morals)
When children are encouraged to tell a story, they are building skills that will last them a life time. If you have ever been to an interview or given a speech or a presentation, then you can understand how stressful it may be. However, if you had practiced storytelling from a young age, the speeches, presentation and interviews become second nature and you may still be a bit nervous but not as stressed.
I grew up in the Middle Eastern culture where storytelling plays a significant role. I learned about my heritage, religion, traditions, and values and morals through the stories my parents and family told me. I love hearing and telling stories. When my children were little they learned about their heritage through stories I told them every night. As a single parent, I lived on very limited income and storytelling was a free family activity we all enjoyed. My son still remembers the stories I told him when he was just 3 years oldJ It truly builds very strong bond between parents and children.
When children are in school, as a part of their language and literacy skills they have to be able to retell a simple story, and be able to recognize beginning, middle and end of a story. Storytelling can help the child strengthen those skills. It builds their imagination and listening skills. Children become more in tune to body language and verbal cues. They become active participants rather than passive recipients. Children, who have heard stories, are often able to tell stories and should be encouraged. In my class I have my little ones tell the story of their art work. They have opportunity to free draw and then write about their drawings. We collect all their journals and create a book. Sometimes for story time they read their journal to the class.
Another favorite activity is our circle story. The children sit in a circle and we all have an opportunity to contribute to the circle story. One person begins the story by saying whatever he/she wants…..”Once there was a mouse…” the next person has to add to this and may say “The mouse lived in a tree….”. Our children love this activity because it gives them a chance to be as creative as they want to.
Sometimes we have one of the children be the storyteller. She/he has the privilege of sitting in the storyteller chair and tells a story of his/her choice. The story can be about anything….news, or talking about his/her favorite cartoon episode, or retelling a favorite story (it could be a favorite book). Once children get comfortable as storytellers and feel the environment is safe, they may begin to share personal experiences (either positive or negative)
Another great way to help little ones become storyteller is by implementing a “question of the day”. Put a child in charge of questioning the class and recording their responses. The child then has to report on the answers. The questions can be very simple… “Do you like toast?” It is just a way to help little ones learn to communicate with others and give an oral presentation.
There are many ways to encourage your children to become storytellers and not only are they going to have fun but they are building important skills that will last them a lifetime.