Children love listening to stories. Stories help them build their imagination, build their vocabulary by learning new words and understanding their meanings. Stories also introduce children to a world entirely different from theirs such as one which involves animals, fairies or gods and demons. Each of us remembers being curled up next to our grandparents or other elders listening to stories. We at Little Aryans, being the best preschool in Kalyan incorporate storytelling as a part of our daily routine.
While the content and the plot of the story is important, what is more, important is the way the story is narrated. So, here are a few tips to brush up one’s storytelling skills-
- Maintain eye contact– While narrating stories to children make sure you look into their eyes. This will ensure that the children do not drift away and their interest is maintained. You also need to keep your interest levels high.
- Modulate your voice- Change the pitch of your voice according to the character. For eg- while speaking about a lion you can deepen your voice, whereas while speaking about a little puppy you can soften your voice. You can change the tone while narrating something funny or something scary.
- Make use of actions– Gestures go a long way to make stories interesting. You can make use of hand gestures like the lion roaring or the fairy waving her wand.
- Make use of props– Musical instruments such as a drum or a tamboora can be used to make the story interesting if used in appropriate places to emphasize something. For eg – when the king enters you can fasten the beat of the drums when speaking about a lion roaming the jungle you can beat the drum slowly to build suspense. Similarly, other props like a piece of clothing or a stick can be used based on the plot of the story.
- Books with illustrations– While reading stories from books, make sure that the books have an illustration on one side and the written matter on the next. This will help the child to develop reading skills.
- Ask to follow up questions- Discuss with your child points such as “What would you have done if you were the princess?” or “What did you learn from this story?” This encourages reasoning and problem-solving skills.