The first few years of running the troupe, each child chose one story to tell, and we performed group stories as well. We formed small groups and gathered in different locations around our school, and each child in the small group told his or her own story. The children loved being individual tellers, but we needed a lot of space, and it took more time. It also took a long time for the kids to practice telling me their individual stories when the troupe met.
The children browsed through storytelling books (with permission for tellers to tell) for the perfect story. And keep in mind, that there are plenty of folk tales to tell that are in the public domain as well. They had an opportunity to choose the stories they liked and were just right for them. Then they practiced in small groups. During the times that the troupe met, I continued to teach tips and techniques on storytelling.
I eventually switched to telling group stories only. It was easier on the children…and me. We had more time to practice just group stories, performed all of them on the stage, (between five to seven stories, depending on the length) and finished our show in less than an hour. Parents liked that part! We had time to meet and greet the families and friends and answer any questions after their performance.
Notice that I said their performance. I never told stories to the audience during the children’s storytelling night. It was their night to shine, not mine.
When you have told a few stories and worked on tips and techniques, you’ll be ready for the children to choose their very own stories. Some of the children actually knew stories they wanted to tell. That was wonderful. They had learned some great stories at camp and other places; they just needed to tell me the stories first.
Look for tips and techniques in my upcoming “The Five Ps of Storytelling” blogs.