Storytelling Tips
for Oral Language Development

Shirley C. Raines and Rebecca Isbell

Shirley Raines and Rebecca Isbell present wonderful stories for storytelling, along with directions, storytelling tips, discussion questions, story backgrounds, and accompanying activities in Tell It Again! Easy-to-Tell Stories with Activites for Young Children

The beautiful swan was once an ugly duckling. The boy who cried wolf had no help when the real wolf came. The modest turtle won the race while the boastful rabbit bragged about his speed. Some of life’s greatest lessons are remembered best through the recollection of stories heard in childhood.

Storytelling involves three essential elements: the story, the teller, and the listener. A well-selected story told by an effective storyteller captivates young listeners’ attention and the three elements work in harmony. The gifts of storytelling are many, including moments filled with the wonder and excitement of stories, universal truths and morals to remember and use throughout life, and the special bond that connects the storyteller and the listener.

The Power of Storytelling

Storytelling is a powerful medium. A well-told story can inspire action, foster cultural appreciation, expand children’s knowledge, or provide sheer enjoyment. Listening to stories helps children understand their world and how people relate to each other in it.

When children listen to stories, they use their imaginations. They picture "nail soup" or the teeny tiny woman" from the teller’s vivid descriptions. This creativity is dependent upon the storyteller’s lively telling of the story and the listener’s active interpretation of what is heard. The more delightful the story and the storyteller, the more the children get out of the whole experience.

The storytelling experience also helps young children develop an appreciation of the story form. Because children are more involved in creating the pictures of the story, they are more likely to remember the characters, the sequence, and the moral of the story. Storytelling can motivate young children to explore various types of literature and become a storyteller, story reader, and story writer.

How to Select Stories to Tell Young Listeners

We wrote this book because we found few books devoted to storytelling for young children. Storytellers often have a difficult time finding the right stories for young children. We selected the stories for this book because they are excellent tales for telling that fit the developmental needs of young children.

Excellent stories for young listeners often have one or more of the following characteristics:

Easy-to-follow sequence
Repetitive words and phrases
Predictable and cumulative tales
Action-packed
Often humorous
Interesting and entertaining happenings
Exciting ending with an appropriate conclusion, and
Clear message or moral

General Storytelling Tips

The following storytelling tips apply to the telling of most stories to young children.

Observe the young children during the telling. Adjust and make clarifications as needed.
Encourage interaction and participation.
Modify the pace and length to match the experiential and developmental level of the children in the audience.
Use voice variations, facial expressions, gestures, and repetitive phrases to draw the young listener into the story
Use appropriate words and descriptions that help young children imagine the happenings in their mind’s eye
Retell the same story many times, since young children are building their understanding of the story

Storytelling to young children provides special possibilities as well as unique challenges. Young children enjoy predictability, repetition, humor, and active participation in the story presentation. When stories are too complicated or the storyteller is too dramatic, the child will turn off" or simply move away from the experience.

The Pleasure of Storytelling

What were your favorite stories as a child? Do you recall listening to "Goldilocks and the Three Bears," or "The Gingerbread Man," or "Jack and the Beanstalk?" A friend remembered her mother telling her these three classic stories. After hearing her mother tell the stories, she was startled when she went to school and the teacher read them from a book. Assuming her mother had made them up, she was surprised that teachers and parents knew the same stories.

One way to appreciate the power of the told story is to recall enjoyable stories from your childhood. Reflect on your feelings, the strength of each character, and the ways the storyteller involved you in the story. Remember being scared for Goldilocks who was lost in the forest, relieved when she spotted a charming little cottage, and anxious for her not to be caught when the bear family returned. Feel the hard, not-so-hard, and just-right bed. Taste the hot, too-cool, and the just-right porridge.

Our own delight when remembering stories and the experiences of listening should encourage us to become storytellers. Clearly the told story has found a place in literary history. How does one begin? How does one become a storyteller? Remember the stories from your past, select an appropriate story, and tell it to a child or a small group of children. Practice the tips we mention.

Keep a story card handy for a quick peek, then let yourself go and enjoy the flow of the story.

Observe the positive reactions of the young listeners and you will forever be a storyteller.

Whether you are a beginning teacher or an experienced librarian, a parent with a first child or a grandparent of five, the message is the same. Stories told by you are gifts that will last a lifetime.

Enjoy the storytelling experience and savor the children’s request when they plead,

"Tell it again!"