Motivate Your Little Storytellers

Getting a wee-bit tired of always being the storyteller? We all have those days when we’d just rather sit back and listen to a great tale than come up with one ourselves. Here’s an idea that may help. The next time you are feeling a little low on creative juices, switch roles and let your kid become the storyteller. Assuming you’ve already established a family storytelling tradition, chances are your child will love it and you will get to relax and be entertained!

I tried this with my grandson Christian the other day. At first he was a little bit shy about taking center stage but, with a little encouragement, he was soon making up tales faster than a famished cat can eat a can of tuna that tumbles to the kitchen floor.

No question, encouraging kids to tell stories takes a little patience. At first, most children tend to ramble and often have some difficulty developing their plot lines. By interjecting small questions like “What happened to the green monster?” or “Did the red monster really turn into a truck at the end?” you can help keep them on track, and eventually guide them towards some sort of satisfying ending.

Another common theme when kids are learning to tell tales is to closely parrot the plot line of a story they heard from you. Don’t be disappointed by this—not only is mimicry the ultimate form of flattery, it’s a comfortable way to start a storytelling career. Once your little copy-cat becomes more confident, she will have no problem coming up with her own, original tales.

Another benefit of your kids’ storytelling is that it will unquestionably help their oral skills. The more they practice at storytelling, the better and more efficient they will become at making points and summarizing events. And needless to say, it will also help stimulate their creativity, which is probably already robust.

For advice on how to get your kids started, check out TallTales’ Kids Only section where there are storytelling tips for kids as well as the beginnings of several new stories with familiar TallTales characters that your children can finish on their own.