“Everything is held together with stories. That is all that is holding us together, stories and compassion.” – Barry Lopez
“Children love stories. Stories are magic; they can create other worlds, emotions, ideas and make the everyday seem incredible. They can teach us empathy and take us on terrific journeys. They can make us laugh, cry, jump with fright and then comfort us with a happy ending. From a very young age we learn how to enjoy a story both for pleasure and to help us make sense of the world and ourselves” according to Carys Shannon.
In the Celtic region of Brittany, the season for storytelling begins in November (the Black Month of Toussaint), then it goes on through December (the Very Black Month), and ends at Christmas.
In early America, some of the Puritan groups which forbade the “idle gossip” of storytelling relaxed these restraints at the dark of the year, from which comes a tradition of religious and miracle tales of a uniquely American stamp: Old World folktales transplanted to the New and given a thin Christian gloss.
Among a number of the different Native American nations across the continent, winter is also considered the appropriate time for certain modes of storytelling: a time when long myth cycles are told and learned and passed through the generations. “Trickster stories are among the tales believed to hasten the coming of spring. Among many tribes, Coyote stories must only be told in the dark winter months; at any other time, such tales risk offending this trickster, or drawing his capricious attention.”
In today’s world many a parent sends they child off to watch some TV or browse the technology. While these may be considered a simple pleasure of childhood, nothing compares to the beauty of storytelling.
These are many benefits to storytelling. In addition to bring the children and storyteller closer together, storytelling instills virtues in your little one.
Young kids love listening to stories. When you devote time for storytelling with them, you are instilling virtues they carry with them as they grow older. Tell stories with characters whose values they can emulate or stories with meaningful messages. This teaches children valuable lessons and helps them learn about kindness, wisdom, honesty, compassion and more.
It boosts their listening skills. It isn’t always easy to hold a child’s attention for long. Many kids find it hard to concentrate on something for an extended period of time. They either butt in or do more of the talking or their minds end up wandering somewhere else. However, storytelling with your child can help improve their listening skills. They will become more attentive and learn how to increase their focus on a certain topic.
It also fosters their imagination. When children listen to a story, it makes them imagine the characters, the plot, the setting, etc. It’s way different from watching something on a screen. Storytelling encourages children’s imagination to run wild as the story unfolds. They can imagine the story however they want it to look like in their heads. It can even enhance their creativity and make them open to new ideas.
Storytelling will increase their cultural understanding. Telling stories opens the eyes of young kids to new things – places, culture, traditions. It makes them imagine being in the place of the story’s characters which develops their compassion as they try to understand their actions.
Their communication skills are enhanced. Reading and telling stories to children can increase their ability to express themselves. It encourages them to communicate their thoughts, feelings and ideas. When storytelling, make sure to encourage your little one to ask questions. As you continue to indulge in storytelling with your little one, they will have a broader vocabulary as they pick up new words.
Storytelling is an excellent way to sharpen your child’s memory. When you read them a story, you can review or ask them to recall some of the details. Ask them questions and see how much information they have retained.
Learning is made easier. Telling stories to your little one is a stepping stone for future academic learning. It’s a good way to prepare them for school because it makes learning easier and natural. Storytelling helps increase a child’s focus and concentration which are very important as they begin attending school.
Their social skills can be improved. Through storytelling, children learn how to pay attention and listen to the person talking. They learn to be more patient as they listen to others speak. It also opens their eyes to other people’s thoughts and understand how each person’s opinion varies.
Storytelling can teach young kids many things about the world and life. It gives them plenty of opportunities to learn wonderful ideas and things they have never encountered before. Given these benefits, parents have countless reasons to spend time telling stories with their kids. Storytelling is all about interacting with each other and finding the holiday closeness we all need as a family.
What do you get when Santa Claus goes down a chimney and the fire is lit? Crisp Kringle. Where does Christmas come before Thanksgiving? In the dictionary.