It doesn’t matter how small you are.

After telling The Enormous Turnip to a group of young children, we discussed what we enjoyed and thought about the tale. The story was highly interactive where some kids could act out the parts of the family and animals while the others repeated lines and acted out motions. Great fun! (Talk about developing listening skills … this story is a winner.)

Every character joins in to help the family pull a huge turnip out of the ground, but that stubborn turnip will not come out. When the tiny mouse finally joins in to help, they all pull and pull and … “POP!” The turnip comes out. The kids caught on right away regarding teamwork. At the end of the discussion, a young boy raised his hand and said, “It doesn’t matter how small you are, you can make a difference.”


Stories and Kids

Recently, I told stories at our local intermediate school’s Literacy Night. I had two sessions. One for third graders and the other for fourth and fifth graders combined. What a great feeling when the kids gathered in front of me…munching on popcorn, I might add! I chose to tell...

Literacy Night and Storytelling

I feel quite honored that my intermediate school, where I used to teach fifth grade, contacted me again to tell stories; this time for their Literacy Night program. I’m thrilled that the school has made the connection between reading and storytelling. Not to mention that fact that I know the...

Fun With Props

Use what works for you. Sometimes just one small prop will do. For example, I’ve used a button to tell the old story, “The Button.” I’d like to note that I do not use the other garments that are in the story, but you could if it works for...

Using Props: Yes or No?

You don’t really need props to tell a good story. In fact, some die-hard storytellers would never use a prop.  I do…with kids. I would recommend using props, but I think it depends on your story and your audience and never go overboard with your props. Keep it simple!...

Getting Your Troupe Started

Getting Your Storytelling Troupe Started  The first year I started my storytelling troupe, I was scared to death! I felt like I didn’t know what I was doing, but I did! And why was that?  Children are hungry for stories. It’s as simple as that. They wanted to be...