storytelling...

storytelling... it's something i'm always amazed by.

i can see how my children are so taken by good stories... and good storytellers.  how little lessons can be planted in stories like seeds... and those lessons and ideas can grow over time.  it might not be right away, but days, months later... when a connection is made.  it's such a gentle way to pass on information.  without pressure.  without expectation.  without judgement.  

i love hearing the storyteller's voice change to fit the story... the pauses, the rhythm, the inflections.  and i'm always amazed at how they have all these great little bits of entertainment stored in their heads, just ready to be told at a moments notice.  to share a lesson... pass on a bit of history... make someone laugh.

it's something thing i've wanted to learn more about... to learn more stories... to become more comfortable with sharing them... to open my thoughts and mind to be able to create stories more easily.  and so i've been doing just that.  and already, my children are requesting more stories.  i'm finding myself becoming more comfortable in telling them.  and i'm even hearing them tell each other stories.  

if you're encouraged to do the same, here are some great sites and books that have helped me find the storyteller in me...

crafting connections has a beautiful post about letting go and simply telling a story and another with some creative tips...

storytelling with children
by nancy mellon

 

creative storytelling: choosing, inventing, and sharing tales for children
by jack maguire

the family storytelling handbook: how to use stories, anecdotes, rhymes, handkerchiefs, paper, and other objects to enrich your family traditions
by anne pellowski

the parent's guide to storytelling: how to make up new stories and retell old favorites
by margaret read macdonald

see where all of this takes you... maybe you'll enjoy storytelling as much as we have been!

this post includes affiliate links, but has no way influenced the content :)