Practical Storytelling How-Tos for Beginners

Practical Storytelling How-Tos for Beginners

Before there were methods, styles, textbooks, and lesson plans, there was storytelling. Not only is good storytelling the earliest form of communication, telling a good story can also be considered the earliest form of teaching. If you haven’t considered adding storytelling into your homeschool, keep reading to learn the benefits of great storytelling.  

Additionally, we will go over the basic storytelling how-tos, how to tell a compelling story, and how to use the art of storytelling in your homeschool and in your everyday life.

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Benefits of Great Storytelling

There are a few ways to include storytelling in your homeschool.  One way to enjoy good storytelling is by reading a written story or reciting from memory one that was created by somebody else.  Another way to enjoy the benefits of storytelling is by telling personal stories using your real-life experiences as inspiration and painting visual stories with your own words.

Each of these storytelling methods will reap many benefits, both in the life of the storyteller and in the lives of those listening to the story.

Now, the benefits of storytelling may surprise you. 

Not only does good storytelling improve listening and comprehension skills, it also helps enhance vocabulary, memory, and creative writing. For some children, learning these concepts does not come easy; therefore, having another option to learn through storytelling provides an innovative way for them to learn.

Top 7 Storytelling Benefits

#1 – Increased verbal skills

Children who regularly enjoy storytelling will experience increased verbal skills, whether they are the storyteller or the listener.  By hearing a story out loud, children are introduced to a variety of aspects of language, as well as an increased vocabulary.  It’s a fact that those who read more have a stronger vocabulary and increased language skills, and storytelling reaps these same benefits.

#2 – Increased Understanding of the Elements of Literature

Even without specifically pointing out the elements of the stories you are enjoying, children who are regularly exposed to unique stories subconsciously learn about concepts such as character, plot, setting, etc, and how these elements relate to each other and to the story as a whole.  Understanding the elements of literature and how they relate to each other will help children make connections to their own lives.

Which leads us to our next benefit of storytelling!

#3 – Increased Coping and Problem-Solving Skills

As children engage in storytelling, they will naturally begin to relate to the lessons and experiences of the characters in the stories and connect them to their own real-life experiences, which will also increase real-life coping and problem-solving skills.  Engaging in storytelling gives kids examples of how characters deal with a variety of problems and gives them ideas on how to deal with problems of their own.  

#4 -Increased Attention Spans

Have a child with a short attention span?  Storytelling to the rescue! It’s a given that the younger the child, the lower their attention span will be.  However, through a good, engaging story, the most fidgety child can be seen as cool, calm, and collected.  And with more practice, that attention span will just grow and grow.

If you have a particularly wiggly child, try engaging in various storytelling techniques such as visual aids, hand and body movement, or by giving your child something to play with quietly such as some playdough or a fidget spinner.

#5 – Developed Creativity and Imagination

Listening to, or telling, a good story will engage parts of the brain that are only engaged when participating in creative work.  As a result, your creativity and your imagination will grow, and so will your kids’.  A good storyteller can paint a visual picture in the minds of the listeners, and pretty soon, everybody has exercised a part of the brain that doesn’t get used in regular day-to-day activities.  

Don’t waste this fun opportunity for growth.

#6 – Stress Relief

The art of storytelling may seem stressful in the beginning, but as you allow yourself to become engaged in the storyline, your imagination will run away and your stress levels will naturally start to decrease.  This is the case for the storyteller as well as the audience.  

A great storyteller can bring the emotions the characters are feeling to life and as the underdog in the story begins to solve his or her problems, your own problems and the problems of your kids will be forgotten and stress will naturally melt away.

#7 – Strengthened Relationships

Effective storytelling brings people together in a way little else can.  There’s just something about gathering together and enjoying a fun and engaging activity that doesn’t involve a screen.  Family bonds will become stronger as you enjoy a great story together.

As you can see, there is a power of storytelling that goes above and beyond the entertainment factor.  You would be crazy to ignore storytelling in your homeschool.

Storytelling How-Tos and Techniques

Don’t let the word “techniques” scare you.  As a mom (or dad), you’ve probably already adopted some storytelling techniques without even realizing it. 

Think about those times you’ve used a high pitch voice for one character, such as a young girl, and a low rumbly voice for another, such as a gruff old man.  Have you ever used your hands while telling a story? These are all part of storytelling and can be powerful storytelling techniques when used properly.

While there’s nothing wrong with reading or telling a story that you didn’t write yourself, sometimes the most engaging and powerful stories are those that we write ourselves.  And if your children are ready to engage in storytelling themselves, teaching kids basic storytelling how-tos is a good way to get them started on the right track.

When you are trying to come up with your own story, or when you are teaching your children to become great storytellers themselves, there are a few things to keep in mind.

Essential Storytelling How-Tos

1. Keep the story relatable – The best stories are relatable.  When writing your story, ask yourself these questions – Who is my target audience?  Has my audience gone through something like this in their own lives?  Will this be a familiar situation to my audience?  
   
   You can use situations that are wild and crazy, but the basic problems and viewpoints your character experiences should be relatable on a basic level, or your audience will not be able to engage.

2. Bring emotions to life – What are the key emotions in your story?  What are your characters feeling?  Ask yourself these questions and think of ways to bring these emotions to life in the eyes of your audience.  Using descriptive words and big facial expressions can help with this.

3. Keep your storyline structured – Now I don’t mean have a rigid and boring story, rather I mean every good story has a basic structure that makes sense and is easy to follow.  
   
   Think back to the elements of literature and the plot diagram: every good story has a beginning (exposition), rising action (plot), climax (the peak of the problems and emotions your character is facing), falling action (problem-solving skills in action), and resolution (the happily ever after).  

4. Remember the underdog – The best stories have a lovable underdog.  People love rooting for the guy who had to work hard to solve his problem.  Nobody likes a character for whom everything comes easily.  Make your character work for his success and you will have a naturally compelling story.

5. Remember the purpose of your story – What problem is your story trying to solve?  What will the moral of your story be?  Some stories are written just for fun, but the best and most powerful stories have a teachable moment that will better the listeners as much as the main character.

6. Stay focused – Yes, it’s fun to have wild and crazy storylines, but the best stories follow a clear path without getting distracted.  Don’t get too colorful and wordy or your audience will lose focus.  With a little practice, it’s possible to make things interesting and entertaining without too much dialogue or too many plot twists.

Free Story Mapping Printable

If you want to get started on storytelling, creative writing is a great place to start. This free creative story mapping printable makes it easy to map out the entirety of your story.

Just go through the pages and fill them out. Before you know it, you’ll have a nearly complete story that just needs a little bit of fill in the blank!

Grab your free Creative Writing Story Mapping Printable now!

More Top Storytelling Techniques

Some more top storytelling techniques include:

1. Changing voices for various characters – Assign each character their own ‘sound’ so they really come to life!
2. Use hand and body movement – Move your hands and arms to accent things like happiness, weather, size, and more.
3. Facial expressions – Exaggerate your facial expressions when you are talking about a character’s emotions.  Make your face BIG and hard-to-miss, so your kids know exactly what the characters are feeling.
4. Visual aids – Using props or pictures as storytelling aids can be a good way to help children better visualize what’s happening in the stories.
5. Emphasize keywords – Taking the time to emphasize keywords, such as vocabulary words or particular main ideas, can help children get more out of the story.
6. Dramatic pauses – Using an extended pause can help children better process what they just heard.  Dramatic pauses can also be used to up the suspense in a good story. 
7. Involve the children – Children love to move!  Invite them to do small movements or repeat certain phrases as they relate to the story that is being told/read.
8. Rinse and repeat – Tell the same story several times!  This helps children not only grasp basic skills, but also provides them with opportunities to retell the story because it’s familiar to them.

Using these storytelling techniques will help you to become a better storyteller, effortlessly!

How to Be Good at Storytelling

Yes, being a good storyteller does take some skill.  But again, being a parent gives you a head start on being even better.  With the tips previously mentioned, the best piece of advice I can give is to be consistent.  Start by choosing a set day and time.  If you use a morning basket, add a “storytelling book” to the mix. 

You can also use storytelling for transitional times – think nap times and/or bedtimes.  This is especially beneficial if you have children who like to boycott resting or going to sleep.  Another tip to keep in mind is that practice makes perfect. Your children aren’t sitting around waiting to grade your next storytime, but the more you do it, the better you’ll become at it.

Last but not least, be present when you’re reading.  Today’s society is so action-packed, filled with multi-tasking moms who are simply trying to keep a calm home, homeschool the children, and wear the other ten hats she has.  Allow storytelling to be your time away from the fast-paced life of having to do this and that.  Your children (and your mind) will thank you.

How to Get Started with Storytelling

At this point you’re ready to add storytelling to your homeschool.  But how should you actually get it started?  How does one become a great storyteller? 

It’s not as complicated as it sounds.  Use the three steps below and you’ll be ready in no time.

3 Steps to Getting Started with Storytelling

1. Pick the Story. This can be a good old folk or fairy tale, a childhood adventure, or a living book.  Feel free to pull from something you are familiar with, or create a storyline of your own using real-life experiences.
2. Set a date. This will help you be consistent. Begin small (maybe 2-3 days a week) and work your way up.  As you get better at consistency, your children will begin to love and look forward to this new routine.
3. Just start.  That’s it!  Just start storytelling!

It doesn’t matter what you sound like, look like, if you miss a day of storytelling, or not even finish a story. The idea behind successfully adding storytelling to your homeschool is to offer your children a unique way of learning, all while having fun through spending time together.

The benefits of storytelling will take care of themselves. Use this time to bond and make memories – with a touch of learning going on in the background.

CHIME IN: Do you use storytelling in your homeschool? How has it helped your children? Let me know in the comments below!

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