Helping Your Child Discover A New World Through Storytelling

Neeti Sarkar talks to two storytellers about storytelling and using it as a tool to connect to children.

Via The Hindu

According to Aparna Athreya, founder of the Bangalore-based Kid and Parent Foundation, “Storytelling is a window of discovery for a child. Stories can have within it culture, tales of magical beings, description of faraway lands, and so much more. Storytelling is the next best thing to actually experiencing reality because a story takes you, and in this case, a child, to where the story belongs. When storytelling is employed, a child’s learning readiness also increases. While today’s children might take more to new-age media, it’s about time we reinvent the art of storytelling. One of the biggest benefits of storytelling is that parents and children get to bond so well over it.” 

Deeptha conducting a storytelling session as a #PBChamp

Deeptha Vivekanand, founder of Ever After and founding member of the Bangalore Storytelling Society, says: “For starters, you could tell family stories. If you have the means, research about your roots. Your own life is a treasure trove of stories. Turn these events into compelling stories.” “A parent knows his/her child best and therefore it is important for parents to capitalise on their knowledge of a child to tell a story. Use characters that appeal most to your child. While some kids may like superheroes, others may enjoy magical creatures. Make your child the hero of your story. In this way, he might even complete your story and you are pushing his creative boundaries to do so. Make storytelling as sensorial as possible. Talk of various tastes, smells, emotions, make your story a visual treat,” Aparna suggests. 

Many parents get away with reading a book to their children and presume that’s storytelling but Deeptha says, “Reading is not storytelling. It is meant to convey an idea simply through the medium of speech. While books are great sources for stories, simply reading from them cannot create the same experience as when the story is told. If you wish to use a story from a book, as a teller, first tell the story to your audience and then bring out the book as this will help listeners imagine the story on their own. Remember, visualisation is the cornerstone of storytelling.”