Articles

Let’s not forget the benefits to parents of storytelling with their children. Whether you read books or tell stories, you slow down and bond with this little one you love. Take the time in the evening to snuggle with your child.

“The 1810 Grimm Manuscripts” is translated and annotated by Oliver Loo. If you are looking for a book of quick Grimm fairytales for sleepy-time reading, this isn’t your book. If you want to dive deep into the nuances and research of some of the earliest versions of the collected Grimm tales, this is a pool of ...

Storytelling in the classroom is a great way to engage students and build their interest in a topic. It can also help them develop their writing and oral communication skills.

How To: Use the Power of the Pause to Strengthen Your Telling By: Chris King When we are telling stories to a group, especially as a newer storyteller, one of the most difficult techniques to master is the use of the pause. Even in everyday conversation, most people have a problem with silence. Somehow we feel we ...

Learn to find a story and then live in the minds of the characters. Ask unusual questions about your story’s characters and live inside the answers you discover. (~Sean Buvala) While oral storytellers walk a fine line between telling and acting, I think you can borrow some preparation skills from our more barnstorming peers. When you create ...

We all have such stories that are recalled by a specific incident, by seeing an old toy at a flea market, by tasting a certain food or passing a place from our past. These kinds of stories keep us in touch with our roots and allow our descendants to understand a little of how we-and ...

The beauty of puppetry is how it captures children’s attention and draws them into the world you’re creating. Even “cool” fifth-graders can’t resist getting caught up in the fun.

The destiny of the world is determined less by the battles that are lost and won than by the stories it loves and believes in. —Harold Goddard If you don’t know the trees you may be lost in the forest, but if you don’t know the stories you may be lost in life. —Siberian Elder Life itself ...

These six small storytelling techniques can make a difference in how effective and entertaining your storytelling can be.

What is the singular, intentional and subtle thread that runs through the story you are telling? With a skilled storyteller, many things are happening in each storytelling that the audience may not be consciously aware of. It can be as simple as a gesture you make, a tone shift, or a pacing decision. I consider this ...

Stories can engage and inspire young people, helping them to learn and grow. Oral storytelling with teens is a great place to start if you want to connect.

Although I do not believe that the “number three” requirement should limit the classification of a story as a folktale, such a requirement for classifications does elicit several questions. Why the focus on the use of the number three? What does the number three represent?