by Pat Lamb (Author of: Let the Children Come; Children, Come to Me; When the Stars Fall Down; Widening the Church Doors to Teach the Narrow Way; My Thinking Book; Love is…) Books are available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and www.patlambchristianauthor.com
Train up a child…
The Value of Storytelling
In recent years there has been a significant emphasis on reading books to children. Reading to children is a very good thing, but telling stories to children adds a dimension that reading to children does not. Books for young children usually provide illustrations for children to use for understanding. When children listen to stories, they must make their own mental images, and to do so requires listening carefully. Storytelling has almost become a lost art in many households. It is an art that, in my opinion, needs to be revived.
As children listen to stories, they develop listening skills, become creative as they are required to visualize scenes, and are treated to many subjects not covered in books. As parents or grandparents tell stories of past experiences, the children gain a better understanding of the storyteller.
What kind of stories can we tell children? Our own experiences provide a wealth of material. In addition, Bible stories or some of the oldies that contain morals are good. Many of Aesop’s fables teach children valuable behavioral lessons. “The Fox and the Crane” teaches consideration of others. “The Fox and the Crow” teaches not to be taken in by flattery. “The Lion and the Mouse” teaches that size is not always the important thing and that even a little mouse can be more powerful than a lion. This story can help a child feel self worth. The “Emperor’s New Clothes” is a story that teaches children to be careful what they believe. “Stone Soup” helps children understand the power of persuasion. It also helps a child understand how easily it is to be taken in and that we should not be selfish. These are only a few of the old stories that children love to hear and provide good learning at the same time.
Sometimes it is good to let children or others participate in telling the story. It is good to let them be creative and change stories if they want. For example, on one occasion two of our grandchildren, their mother, grandfather, and I were traveling. I suggested we all participate in telling the story of the three pigs. We took turns and each person added to what had been said before. When it was grandpa’s turn, he said, “Those little pigs decided they didn’t want apples at all. They said, ‘Let’s go get some ice cream and let that ole wolf get apples if he wants!” The grandchildren laughed for the next 10 miles or so. That was a springboard for them to become creative and make up their own variations of the story.
Telling stories costs no money but creates pleasant life-long memories. They can be told while sitting and waiting in a car, at bedtime, while traveling, or perhaps on a cold winter evening. Storytelling provides a great amount of satisfaction for both the storyteller and the listener while the children learn invaluable lessons.
Note: Some of the lessons in my book, Let the Children Come, contain additional stories that can be told to children. It is available on Amazon and can also be ordered from me through my website or e-mail.
patsylamb1936@gmail.com