To Christmas.
Really. 15 days. I'm out of denial. How about you?
quote du jour: And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more. ~ Dr. Seuss
Last blog I wrote about ways to tell stories with children, this week I thought I'd write more about bridging from story to our children's lived experiences. Who of us doesn't remember the Grinch's shriveled tiny heart bursting it's bonds? Have you ever wondered if there was some real life Grinch who grew a MUCH bigger heart in a moment of awakened compassion? I've got a long list of public figures I'm hoping will have such a moment. . .
So when we tell a story, like the one of the Grinch or the Nativity tale, or a remembered one from our own experience, it is an opportunity to help our children make meaning out of their lives. Okay, how?
Use Senses: Children experience the world through their senses - details of what something looked like, smelled like, felt like; use senses in your storytelling. Pass around an object to inspect and touch while you tell. Even asking a child to imagine the feel of warm sand under their feet, or the smell of hay in the manger encourages their minds to examine their experiences and relate those to the story. Maybe the manger smells like the day we went to the Topsfield Fair. Or better. Or worse.
Explore Emotions: Stories about life's embarrassing moments, or about confronting fear, or about losses, tell children that it's okay to be less than perfect, normalize the experience of fear (everyone has it), and gives them permission to name loss. Stories about happy endings and redemption and hardships overcome, remind children that life can be good, forgiveness is possible and they are inherently capable human beings. Invite them into feeling their way through the story by telling with as much drama, humor, mystery, pride, love and emotion (of your own) as you can muster.
Ask Questions: Asking questions invites children to get specific about applying the story messages to their own life. Asking when they had a moment of 'getting it', or about their own birth story as they've heard it, or when they lost a friend or pet, connects story to experience. The story may offer them an alternative way to view those experiences or diminish a sense of isolation. Stopping in mid story and asking a child "what do you think will happen next? what do you think they should do? what do you think he meant?" or other relevant questions shifts the child's dynamic from audience to participant. This is true whether or not you have children raising hands and giving opinions. The silent reflection on questions asked is the same mental process. Some children freeze up if they think they will have to come up with a 'right' answer, so find ways to let them consider without being put on the spot. You can ask them to illustrate answers with art (for their eyes only) or wonder together, or journal in a personal journal. If the group has strong bonds of trust, you can create smaller more intimate groups - that can feel safer for a child in venturing an answer or illuminating an internal struggle.
Give and Ask For Examples: If the story has clear connections to the storyteller's experience, describe them. Ask the children to think of their own connections - shared with the group or not. If the concepts are abstract - try to create as concrete an example as possible for them to consider.
Apply It: If the story has an action, a process, an outcome or a message that can be applied - I remember a yellow bellied sneech 'communion' where everyone put yellow stars on each other - use it. Don't be afraid to be nerdy. Even the kids who roll their eyes will remember. Think about all the dumb things you've witnessed or taken part in - you remembered, see!
And lastly, be yourself. Caring, curious and willing. That's the most important connection of all.
Really. 15 days. I'm out of denial. How about you?
quote du jour: And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more. ~ Dr. Seuss
Last blog I wrote about ways to tell stories with children, this week I thought I'd write more about bridging from story to our children's lived experiences. Who of us doesn't remember the Grinch's shriveled tiny heart bursting it's bonds? Have you ever wondered if there was some real life Grinch who grew a MUCH bigger heart in a moment of awakened compassion? I've got a long list of public figures I'm hoping will have such a moment. . .
So when we tell a story, like the one of the Grinch or the Nativity tale, or a remembered one from our own experience, it is an opportunity to help our children make meaning out of their lives. Okay, how?
Use Senses: Children experience the world through their senses - details of what something looked like, smelled like, felt like; use senses in your storytelling. Pass around an object to inspect and touch while you tell. Even asking a child to imagine the feel of warm sand under their feet, or the smell of hay in the manger encourages their minds to examine their experiences and relate those to the story. Maybe the manger smells like the day we went to the Topsfield Fair. Or better. Or worse.
Explore Emotions: Stories about life's embarrassing moments, or about confronting fear, or about losses, tell children that it's okay to be less than perfect, normalize the experience of fear (everyone has it), and gives them permission to name loss. Stories about happy endings and redemption and hardships overcome, remind children that life can be good, forgiveness is possible and they are inherently capable human beings. Invite them into feeling their way through the story by telling with as much drama, humor, mystery, pride, love and emotion (of your own) as you can muster.
Ask Questions: Asking questions invites children to get specific about applying the story messages to their own life. Asking when they had a moment of 'getting it', or about their own birth story as they've heard it, or when they lost a friend or pet, connects story to experience. The story may offer them an alternative way to view those experiences or diminish a sense of isolation. Stopping in mid story and asking a child "what do you think will happen next? what do you think they should do? what do you think he meant?" or other relevant questions shifts the child's dynamic from audience to participant. This is true whether or not you have children raising hands and giving opinions. The silent reflection on questions asked is the same mental process. Some children freeze up if they think they will have to come up with a 'right' answer, so find ways to let them consider without being put on the spot. You can ask them to illustrate answers with art (for their eyes only) or wonder together, or journal in a personal journal. If the group has strong bonds of trust, you can create smaller more intimate groups - that can feel safer for a child in venturing an answer or illuminating an internal struggle.
Give and Ask For Examples: If the story has clear connections to the storyteller's experience, describe them. Ask the children to think of their own connections - shared with the group or not. If the concepts are abstract - try to create as concrete an example as possible for them to consider.
Apply It: If the story has an action, a process, an outcome or a message that can be applied - I remember a yellow bellied sneech 'communion' where everyone put yellow stars on each other - use it. Don't be afraid to be nerdy. Even the kids who roll their eyes will remember. Think about all the dumb things you've witnessed or taken part in - you remembered, see!
And lastly, be yourself. Caring, curious and willing. That's the most important connection of all.
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