OBJECTIVE: To inspire you to include more storytelling in your home.
INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES:
Tales of the Decameron by John Waterhouse
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She would begin with a glow in her eyes and tell me their story.
All of their tales she knew, by the hundreds and hundreds she knew them. Tales of the beings divine . . . Mark! what I as a child picked up, the old man still plays with. Pictures of heroes in sound that lasts, when spoken, forever, Images fair of the world and marvellous legends aforetime, All of them living in me as they fell from the lips of my mother. --Denton T. Snyder “I would rather be a teller of stories to children than be the Queen’s favorite or serve in the King’s court." --Kate Douglas Wiggin "Let me beg of you, mothers, do not think you cannot tell stories. Try; try; keep on trying; and ease in telling is bound to come." --Julia Cowley |
LISTEN:
WATCH:
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READ:
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ARTICLES:
Restoring the Art of Storytelling in the Home
This is a revised version of a book I wrote and compiled a few years ago. I’ve removed some of the more complex stories and replaced them with simpler stories, more suitable for beginning storytellers. I also added a section filled with tips and suggested learning activities from the storytellers of a hundred years ago. At the back of the book is a bibliography that will lead you to the writings of my circle of storytelling friends, both how-to-tell stories as well as stories to tell. All the books may be read on Internet Archive. |
Mother’s Learning Library: Storytelling
After a couple of brief introductory chapters on why storytelling matters and watching its effects in action, I’ve included the book that was written by Margaret Eggleston that I talked about in the Strand of Pearls presentation. This book profoundly changed my life and introduced me to all the wonderful heart educators whose teachings and writings comprise the Mother’s Learning Library. I hope you will be inspired by her, as well. The final book is one of my favorite hands-on how-to-tell-stories book by Sara Cone Bryant. |
TOOLS:
DO:
1. #52 Stories Telling personal stories are some of the easiest stories to tell. Here are 52 questions--one for each week for an entire year. You can jot them down in a journal or record them on a recorder. Some of the questions are likely to stir up some memories for you to share with your family. Here is a large poster you can print out.
2. Start a storytelling club. Ideas for running a Storytelling Group can be found here.
3. ‘Tell Me the Stories of Jesus’
The stories of Jesus are some of the most beloved stories of childhood. And because they are likely to be familiar to you, they are a perfect entry into the world of storytelling. I invite you to ‘experiment’ upon the impact of telling stories by heart by participating in this ‘Tell Me the Stories of Jesus’ project. I’ve selected 22 stories from the life of Jesus that have special appeal to little hearts and are meant to be shared over many nights. To tell the stories will require that you clearly see and feel each scene so that you can bring it to life for your child. Take your time. Don’t rush the process. Warm your own heart by reading the scriptural references and then reading several versions of the stories that have been told by other storytellers. You’ll find a good collection of them in the S8 online library. Wait until your heart longs to share the stories with your child because you love them so much. If it’s not in your heart to tell them, don’t. If your children are resistant to listening, don’t force it. Although you can tell the stories to several children at once, there is something infinitely special to your child to have the story told just to ‘him.' Let it be a special time, one on one, with the lights turned off so there are no distractions with your child snuggled up next to you. The feelings you convey in your voice and tone and the warmth they feel next to you will be as important as the words you say . . . maybe even more important. I have also suggested a song to go with each story to make the message go deeper and last longer. If you don’t feel comfortable singing, try reciting the words. You can access all of the songs here. If they are not familiar to you, you’ll find sound recordings there, as well.
It is best to not show pictures while the story is unfolding because you want your child to create the scenes within his own imagination. But the next day or at another time, show him a picture that will now remind him of the story you have shared together. Consider creating a keepsake book that will remind him of this special time together. Bare Books has a 60 page hardbound blank book that will give you enough pages for each of the stories and a little extra. They’re only $2.50 each and can be ordered here. Or insert them into a little 4x6 photo album. Walmart sells them for a dollar.
I have prepared pictures that are the right size to glue onto the left page and on the right page, write the words of the song that is connected to that story or a few words from the song. Do one story at a time sometime after the story has been told. Or write whatever is meaningful to your child. You can access the pictures here.
These are only suggestions. If your kids are older, it may feel more awkward to some. Maybe let them be the tellers of the stories over a period of nights. Use these resources in any way they work for you.
My earliest recollection is as a 3 year old and it’s the stories of Jesus I remember. They were vivid to me. It was as if I was hearing something I already knew. I loved Him so much. Feeling that personal connection to Him and longing to be with Him again has kept me honest and kind in ways that lessons on those topics never would have accomplished. Some may hesitate to include the story of His suffering on the cross to such a young age. I can tell you that very story is what bound my heart to His and has kept me close to Him for my entire life. I hope through these stories, His Spirit will fill yours hearts and homes and that they may bind your heart to your child’s in ways you may have never experienced before.
(pdf of stories and songs)
(pdf of colored pictures to print out)
The stories of Jesus are some of the most beloved stories of childhood. And because they are likely to be familiar to you, they are a perfect entry into the world of storytelling. I invite you to ‘experiment’ upon the impact of telling stories by heart by participating in this ‘Tell Me the Stories of Jesus’ project. I’ve selected 22 stories from the life of Jesus that have special appeal to little hearts and are meant to be shared over many nights. To tell the stories will require that you clearly see and feel each scene so that you can bring it to life for your child. Take your time. Don’t rush the process. Warm your own heart by reading the scriptural references and then reading several versions of the stories that have been told by other storytellers. You’ll find a good collection of them in the S8 online library. Wait until your heart longs to share the stories with your child because you love them so much. If it’s not in your heart to tell them, don’t. If your children are resistant to listening, don’t force it. Although you can tell the stories to several children at once, there is something infinitely special to your child to have the story told just to ‘him.' Let it be a special time, one on one, with the lights turned off so there are no distractions with your child snuggled up next to you. The feelings you convey in your voice and tone and the warmth they feel next to you will be as important as the words you say . . . maybe even more important. I have also suggested a song to go with each story to make the message go deeper and last longer. If you don’t feel comfortable singing, try reciting the words. You can access all of the songs here. If they are not familiar to you, you’ll find sound recordings there, as well.
It is best to not show pictures while the story is unfolding because you want your child to create the scenes within his own imagination. But the next day or at another time, show him a picture that will now remind him of the story you have shared together. Consider creating a keepsake book that will remind him of this special time together. Bare Books has a 60 page hardbound blank book that will give you enough pages for each of the stories and a little extra. They’re only $2.50 each and can be ordered here. Or insert them into a little 4x6 photo album. Walmart sells them for a dollar.
I have prepared pictures that are the right size to glue onto the left page and on the right page, write the words of the song that is connected to that story or a few words from the song. Do one story at a time sometime after the story has been told. Or write whatever is meaningful to your child. You can access the pictures here.
These are only suggestions. If your kids are older, it may feel more awkward to some. Maybe let them be the tellers of the stories over a period of nights. Use these resources in any way they work for you.
My earliest recollection is as a 3 year old and it’s the stories of Jesus I remember. They were vivid to me. It was as if I was hearing something I already knew. I loved Him so much. Feeling that personal connection to Him and longing to be with Him again has kept me honest and kind in ways that lessons on those topics never would have accomplished. Some may hesitate to include the story of His suffering on the cross to such a young age. I can tell you that very story is what bound my heart to His and has kept me close to Him for my entire life. I hope through these stories, His Spirit will fill yours hearts and homes and that they may bind your heart to your child’s in ways you may have never experienced before.
(pdf of stories and songs)
(pdf of colored pictures to print out)