On 23rd August we invited one of our volunteers Ms. Sheetal Verlekar to give us tips on storytelling. She started the session by reading a story simply. All the volunteers were surprised to hear her as they never expected her to do so. Then she started to explain as to how we can make storytelling interesting. She gave us tips on the same. She said we must be enthusiastic about narrating a story and not conscious. We must know the story back and forth. So practice it before narrating it to the kids. We need to control the environment. We need to generate interest in the story and request the kid to be quiet during the story session. The voice should be at the correct pitch and loud enough and audible to the child in the last row. Make eye contact with as many kids as possible. Speak with facial expressions. Use gestures and body movements. Use pictures and props to make it interesting. Ask questions about characters, story setting, what they liked about the story, and also encourage the kids to ask questions. Do any activity related to the story like coloring, drawing, singing, etc. A story gives much more than a language. It evokes imagination. Let the child explore the story on her own, through imagination. Swami Chinmayanand says, “Never preach through stories.” On its own, a well-told story will instill values in the child. We should never exploit storytelling for preaching.

We all thanked Sheetal for her such amazing tips.