This winter try something different with your children to
cure the winter blues. Instead of simply reading to them from the books on
their shelf, why not come up with your own story? Storytelling is a time-honored tradition,
handed down from generation to generation. In some cases, handed-down stories
turn into beautifully written-down tales, decades later as in case of my Lima
Bear Stories*.
You, too, can create stories either on your own or with the help
of your family. The result will not only be entertaining but a source of family
memories as palpable as any family vacation photo album.
To get started in creating your family story-telling
memories keep these tips in mind:
1. Do not
be intimidated; anything you have to share is going to be interesting to your
children.
2. Use
what is important to you. If you are super clean, for example, create a
character who learns the hard way why cleaning up is important.
3. Use
humor. Goofy=happy children
4. Create
catchy character names. Catchy names make the story come alive and easily
remembered.
Another way to create terrific tales is to let the story unravel
by having your family add the content along with you. For example, why not turn
the television off on a cold winter’s night and simply start a story much like
the old children’s game “whisper down the lane?” Start with a funny scene using
material that is obvious to you. Let each family member add to the story and
take the story over for a while. Enjoy as you witness the creative juices
flowing. Each family member gets a chance to add and embellish until finally a
completed story is created. After you get to the end of the story see if family
members can repeat the story back. Did the story change? Try the story again
using the new embellishments to see if the changes may become permanent
changes.
One of the hardest tasks in creating any story is coming up with
a beginning to the story. Below are some ideas of story-starters to get you on
your story-telling way:
1. Is a holiday
near or around a corner? Make your story a holiday tale.
2. Put a
twist on a famous fairy tale. If the writers of Shrek and Enchanted
can do it, you can too!
3. Use a
topic from the news. A young hero story, for example.
4. A
famous writer instructor once said “write what you know,” in this case, ‘tell
what you know.” Use what interests you: a football story, a story about your
favorite animal, etc.
5. Tell a
story based, loosely or closely on a relative who your children may have never
met -- what a wonderful way to teach them about someone special who is actually
a part of them.
No matter what you decided to
base your story on or how you choose to create it, remember that by
storytelling you are sharing not only time with your child but a part of
yourself. Enjoy making your very own story-telling memories!
Thomas Weck is the author/creator of the *Lima Bear Stories.
Originally made-up bedtime stories he told his four children, the Lima Bear
tales resurfaced when Weck’s son Peter had children. Peter remembered the
stories and wanted to have his father write them down so that he could share
them with his children. Father and son took it one step further and created
Lima Bear Press (www.LimaBearPress.com) to produce the stories as books that
children everywhere can enjoy. The first three titles were released in 2011: The Megasaurus, How Back-Back Got His Name, and
The Cave Monster. The books are not only fun and funny with great
illustrations, they also have an underlying message such as such as tolerance, honesty, courage,
etc. More books in the series will be released in 2012. Learn more at
www.limabearpress.com.
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