Storytelling - The Art of Weaving Magic with Words & Benefits for Child

“Once upon a time, there was a king who had a beautiful princess……..” Hearing this, Jia rolled up her eyes into an imaginary thinking cloud and started visualizing the kingdom and all its loveliness.

The art of storytelling is as old as time, and it never ceases to enthrall the audience of any age. And if the audience happens to be your child, imagine the bonding you both will have over a storytelling session. It is quite easy to get your child enthralled and absorbed in the magic of a storybook, as you read it out loud for your child. The young age of children, their inability to read and their limited exposure keep them away from the wonders of a storybook. In the absence of a teller, they try to put the pictures in the book together to figure out the good and the bad.

Art of Storytelling

Storytelling as a schedule can aid in better grooming of your child and also helps in creating a lifelong bond between parents and children. Reading out a long story takes 15-20 min and a shorter one probably 10min, easily manageable and also this could be your privileged time with your child. If considered, taking 30 minutes from your busy schedule for your child should not be that much, as our grandparents and parents did it for us when we were children so why not for our children?

With increased exposure to gadgets and television, the minds of our children are not getting the required stimulation they need at this age. And storytelling is just a way of aiding our children to think for themselves, as they try to imagine a world full of fairies, talking animals, and elves among other things. And if you want you may take the help of the internet for sourcing some new and interesting stories every day to share with your child during his bedtime.

Simple Tips for Good Storytelling

Here are some tips and ideas for a fruitful storytelling session...

• While you are reading the story be there mentally as well. Just shut out any other thoughts.
• Use a little voice modulation and sounds to make it real for the little ones
• Try to add some action as well as that would add to the flare while narrating a story
• Read in English and then explain in your mother tongue, in case the child is not completely known to English
• Pinpoint the various characters in the images to make it interesting
• Spend a little more time on the moral of the story

Benefits of Storytelling

For the children, the benefits extend far beyond we think. Some of them are:

• It boosts their thought process and creative imagination
• It improves the emotional bonding with parents
• It helps them understand moral values at an early age
• It enhances their vocabulary and communication skills
• It improves their memory

The art of storytelling has existed since time immemorial and its charm is such that everybody gets engrossed in it. If you are reading out a story every day to your child then be assured that you are raising a child who would forge a lifelong friendship with books. The interest in books will further enable them to explore more at their pace and according to their interest.

To conclude I would like to dwell upon the life lessons that I have taught my 5-year-old through storytelling:

And the list goes on……