Image of ‘Children’ from Wikipedia
Want to test the enduring power of story-telling? Just say “once upon a time…” and witness the effect on a child. Is it social conditioning or genetic? I don’t know, but I know we were made for stories. The ability to spin a tale is essential for story-tellers and children can learn how by playing a great little game.
Basic Formation
- Nominate a Time-keeper. This person will stay outside the circle.
- Form a circle made up of 3 or more children.
- One person is chosen as the spark for the story. They begin with the words ‘once upon a time…’ and continue…
- The Time-keeper will cry ‘next!’ after 60 seconds. Whoever is telling the story must stop and the next person will continue from where they left off.
- Keep going till you reach the end of the story. Or until the bell rings!
Tips
- Relax.
- Listen – yes, listen to the story-teller.
- Let your mind conjure up images and sensations.
- Be expressive/use body language.
- Pause to heighten tension.
- Use eye-contact.
- Use logic (in your story-telling).
- Insert ‘telling’ details into your story.
- Practise!
Spicing Things Up!
- Leave out a Time-Keeper. A story-teller stops whenever they want, after a second, a minute…go with the flow.
- Use a story bag filled with random objects. The first story-teller picks out an object and starts telling a story involving the object. After 60 seconds the next person picks another object and incorporates it into the story…
- A person can be chosen to ‘act out’ the story being told.
This is a powerful game. I have watched hesitant story-tellers transformed into magical bards after two tries! Why don’t you give it a go and see where it takes you?