Storytelling with Children (Hawthorn Press Storytelling)

Story telling is important when spending time with your child. This book helps in teaching you to learn how to build your own stories.

Too simple

My daughter is in a Waldorf school and I live stories, so this book seemed like a perfect match.Well, I’m 40% through the book and have collected two or three tidbits of use. This book is like sitting with a great Waldorf teacher - lots of lyrical expounding on what is good for children. But so far, I’m seeing very little in actual practical advice and more of a treatise on how wonderful storytelling is for families and how much better off you’ll be. Tips gleaned so far:Incorporate stories into your daily or weekly rhythm.Set aside a special chair, or shawl, or use a candle to set the stage for storytelling as something special.Call everyone to silence before starting.Suit the story to the child’s temperament and mood.There have been a couple of pages devoted to how to memorize a story and how to recognize story structure.In short, this is long on filler and short on practical advice, thus far.

Storytelling with Children is an inspiration - with a very practical outlook. As a teacher, therapist and workshop leader, Nancy Mellon shows you how to pull stories from your own experience or a child's, using small anecdotes, memories or observations. She helps you overcome fear and doubt, and discover the wellsprings of your creativity. With a lighthearted touch yet a deep respect for children and the adults who love them, she acts as a guide to one of the oldest and greatest acts of communication and sharing - that of spinning a tale out of shared experience or sometimes (it can seem) out of nowhere.Parents, grandparents, teachers and anyone with a child in his/her life will discover how to make up stories for birthdays, and for important events such as birth, death, or moving house. They'll learn how to incorporate a child's fears and difficulties - or simply the ups and downs of everyday life - into a story that will help to resolve them. For those who worry that their kids are spending too much time with the TV and computer, this is the perfect antidote. For those who love reading aloud to children, the magic of creative storytelling offers something even more nourishing. Adults who start off feeling tired or uncertain find themselves "enlivened and cared for" as much as the children do. They feel closer to their child and more in touch with themselves. For children, the gift of a story made especially for them, is priceless.Diana Reynolds Roome...