How to Tell Stories to Young Children (and Why)

When I was a little girl, my brother and I would often wander through the woods behind our house. As we stepped over mossy logs, under low-hanging branches and through swampy puddles, we would tell stories about the creatures whose territory we had invaded. They were fantastic journeys into our imaginations. While the forest has more than likely been cut down to make room for more homes, the stories remain in my heart to this day.

Storytelling is one of the most ancient arts. For centuries in every corner of the world, people have gathered to share history, folklore, myth, and legend. "Storytelling is the most natural and most human communicative form," explains professional storyteller Lisa Lipkin, author of Bringing the Story Home: The Complete Guide to Storytelling for Parents. "Through our instinctive abilities we weave tales by creating plot, character, a beginning, a middle, and an end. Storytelling speaks to the deepest parts of ourselves." But does it grab our children's attention?

In a culture where youngsters are bombarded with visual stimulation, it is hard to believe that a simply woven verbal tale, devoid of visual effects, can entrance an audience. Yet Lipkin says, "Nothing, not even the grandest, most elaborate video screen or animated movie, can compete with a child's imagination. Stories tap into that glorious wellspring of creative thought that comes naturally to children. Storytellers set a child's imagination in motion, allowing him to create characters, costumes, smells, and sights that are wholly original, compelling, and unique to that child." And when the storyteller has a personal connection to the audience, her spoken words make an even more memorable impression.

Family members (parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters) can be the most engaging storytellers.

It's one of the most intimate moments a parent can share with a child, says Carleton Kendrick, Ed.M, LCSW, a family therapist in private practice in Medfield, Massachusetts. "The tone of your voice, your closeness to your child, your facial expressions all add to the experience of telling a story just for your son or daughter."

"When I look into my two-year-old daughter Juliet's eyes when I'm telling a story and see them transfixed, I know I'm a successful storyteller," says Rabbi Jonah Pesner. As associate rabbi at Temple Israel in Boston, Rabbi Pesner frequently shares stories with his congregation. "Rabbis have always been storytellers. Long before the Torah was written down, it was passed from generation to generation orally." But telling stories to children brings him the greatest pleasure. "The truth I want to teach children often comes through stories."