Storytelling is an art in itself. Some achieve great success in grasping the attention of their kids through children stories while others find it difficult. You may be on either end of this spectrum or somewhere in the middle, but it is also a skill that can be learned.
Storytelling is actually an art which not only challenges the minds of the parents, but also promotes creativity in the grey matter of kids. Through stories, children are provided with a multitude of characters placed in different backgrounds, thus encouraged to imagine the entire sequence of events in their innocent minds. What an appealing way to challenge the minds of our little ones!!
Some ways in which parents can create an exciting and entertaining story for their children can be by keeping certain pointers in mind:
- Creating characters recognizable and relatable to the kids:
This is absolutely important to create characters that the child can relate to and can imagine. If a child does not know what a dinosaur is and we create a story around dinosaurs, then the idea of using the child's imagination to understand the story is futile.
- Create personalized stories:
In his insightful book “The Seven Basic Plots”, author Christopher Booker finds that there are seven basic story plots that have universal appeal. These include the story of the hero defeating a monster, the rags-to-riches tale, the quest for a treasure and the voyage of a hero who comes back a changed person. Keeping in sync with either of the themes creates a story that imparts the right values to your child.
- Create suspense:
Always create a story that has a plot with twists and turns so that the attention of the child is sustained throughout the storytelling process. It will also involve active participation of your kid since your child will be inquisitive about what will happen next
- Build a Climax
- End with a moral value
Always try to end with a positive takeaway that the kid can imbibe in his life. This need not be stated in an obvious manner but should be clear from the story.
In essence, storytelling in the right way can grasp your kid's attention and impart core values for him to inculcate in his life. It really is worth the effort to learn how to tell a good story!