Answered by Team ParentCircle
Storyteller and theater-based life coach John Pradeep JL answers your queries on how you and your child can tell a really good story.
Q. My 5-year-old daughter doesn't show much interest in listening to stories. When I narrate a story, she only wants to know what happens in the end. Can you give me tips to improve my storytelling skills? I do make hand movements now and then. Sometimes, I use my child's dolls as props, but how can I make them more interesting for my child?
Kudos to you for doing storytelling sessions. I believe in the magic it brings into our family and to our children. There's this format of storytelling where you use questions, followed by answers. You convert all your statements into questions and that helps kindle children's curiosity.
Here are a few examples:
Curiosity question: Do you know what the lion did next?
Affirmation question: Like the cat, we also become cranky when we don't eat food, right?
Open-ended question: What will you do if somebody insults you like the monkey did?
These questions keep your child glued to your narration. Your child will nod her head in affirmation, answer your questions, or even debate with you on why the monkey would've never done that.
Q. My son, who is 6 years old, loves narrating stories, and he narrates them very well. I would like to know how we can encourage him.
That's amazing! You can encourage your child by documenting his storytelling in whatever medium he is comfortable with—write-ups, drawings, voice recordings, or videos. How will this help? Well, with these materials you can start a blog, podcast, or even a YouTube channel.
Q. I'm not able to take my 8-year-old child to storytelling sessions and book releases. Can you recommend good online storytelling platforms?
I tell stories every night on YouTube to help put children to sleep. This content is also available as podcasts on platforms such as Spotify. You can search for John Pradeep JL on these platforms. Alternatively, you could check out other storytellers such as Shreedevi Sunil from Mumbai and Janaki Sabesh from Chennai, who are actively telling stories now. Also, your child can visit Lil Trails (@liltrails) on Instagram to hear good stories.
Q. I am a primary school English teacher (Classes 3 to 5) and a mother of a preschooler. I often narrate stories to my students. I have noticed my students enjoy some stories, while not showing too much interest in others. Can you tell me what kind of stories work best for storytelling?
It's always about experimenting and it's different for everybody. I'm a theater person and a clown. So, stories with a lot of expressions and movements work for me. I've seen some amazing storytellers with good singing skills. Some storytellers are good with comedy, while others are great with emotional stories. And some can tell amazing stories without any movement or expression, but still keep the audience captive. So, experiment with different kinds of stories, and you'll soon know what kind of story works best for you as a narration.
Q. I am planning a small birthday party for my daughter, with about five kids. I plan to narrate a fun animal story to the little ones during the party. I would like to follow up the storytelling session with an interesting storytelling-related activity or game. Can you share some ideas?
Take a story that you have fun narrating. Theme the birthday party around the story. Go to YouTube and find a DIY craft activity based on any character in the story. Make sure the craft activity requires just a few items that are easily available. Children will love doing the craft together and will remember your party, along with the story, for a long time.
Q. Storytelling is one of my hobbies. Before the pandemic, I used to invite my son's friends over and narrate stories to the kids. The children enjoyed these sessions. After the pandemic, I moved these sessions online, but somehow, I feel the kids aren't enjoying these sessions as much as the face-to-face sessions. How can I make digital storytelling livelier?
I had the same difficulty. Then I found that I should have an assistant when I narrate stories online to manage the muting, spotlighting, etc. Also, start with an interactive activity where you set an expectation for the audience—that this is not a session where they are going to just sit and listen, but where they have to do a lot of fun things. On Zoom, put yourself in spotlight mode, and gallery view where you can see everyone and call out the ones that are distracted. Get them to do some activities through the story, and spotlight them to everyone else. Now, others will want to be spotlighted too. So, everyone's paying attention and doing things along with you.
Also Read:
Explore the Benefits of Storytelling for Kids – Learn More!
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