The following is an excerpt from “Guide to Teaching the Early Grades,” where you’ll find guidance on the types of stories to tell and practical tips for becoming a more confident storyteller.
In the Oak Meadow approach to learning, storytelling has great significance. Some parents and teachers might view storytelling as something that may help the child to feel more secure or bring a few moments of happiness, but do not see stories as a powerful educational tool. At Oak Meadow, we believe that storytelling is one of the most important skills that a teacher can develop. What is it about storytelling that is so important?
Storytelling is something that children of all ages love, and it can lead to some wonderful experiences together for both children and adults. Through storytelling, parents and teachers can create a magical space, where children and adults can experience deeper realities and communicate in ways they rarely do otherwise.
Children will love almost any story that is told to them, simply because the very act of having someone tell you a story gives you a feeling of security and contentment that is rarely found in any other experience. This is because a story creates a “safe space,” psychologically and emotionally. While the story is going on, the child enters into a state of timelessness, created by the knowledge that, while this story is happening, nothing else is going on. In addition, if the adult who is telling the story is someone the child knows and loves, the child enters into a state of trust, in which they become completely receptive to the experience that is occurring. These two elements of trust and timelessness are qualities that are conducive to a deeper experience, and when you add to that the uplifting experience provided by a story that has genuine humor or deeper meaning, the total experience is quite extraordinary, both for the child and the adult telling the story.
The basic skill of a storyteller is the ability to draw others into the experience of what is being told. In telling stories to younger children, we often read from a book or tell the story from memory, and sometimes we even create stories that have never been told before. Whatever the source of the story may be, it is usually not based on concrete physical facts, but is drawn from myths, legends, or archetypal themes.
However, this lack of physical basis in no way detracts from the importance of the story, for the greatest truths known to humanity are often hidden in such stories, and so they are far more important and more real, especially to young children, than the stories based on hard facts or mundane reality.
Older children also enjoy stories immensely, and their need to experience stories is as deep as it is for younger children. With adolescents, the teacher can utilize the benefits of storytelling most effectively by telling stories that use the basic facts of the subject as guidelines, and imbuing them with life. In this way, the facts virtually “come alive” through the being of the storyteller, and children begin to experience the life of the subject, not just the form. As such, a creative teacher will use the facts of a situation as background scenery in a fascinating story, and draw the children into a real experience of the subject that will have meaning to them.
Most people have read stories aloud from a book, which is an excellent place to start. You can also develop your storytelling skills by creating original stories, which gives you yet another powerful tool to help children transform themselves.
Looking for a source of inspiration for creating your own stories with your child? Try The Storymatic Kids —a playful and open-ended tool with six gazillion stories in one little box. No wires. No screens. No batteries. Just pick a few cards and let them lead you into a story. How you tell it is up to you—write it, draw it, sing it! It’s perfect for early writers, parents who need fresh bedtime material, teachers looking to nurture creativity, and grandparents who want to play.
- 360 cards (including 20 blanks for your own ideas)
- Light, portable, and made in Brattleboro, VT
- Includes booklet with prompts and storytelling games
- Suitable for ages 5 and up
You can get your own Storymatic on our website here