How to Get Started with Storytelling

So you want to make storytelling part of your homeschool life, but you’re not sure where to start? No worries: These five story-generating ideas will give you the inspiration you need to be spinning stories in no time.  

Folk and Fairy Tales

Remember, these stories you know by heart are fresh and new to your child. If you feel blocked by the prospect of coming up with an original idea, retell classic stories in your own words. You’ll find the narratives quickly take on a life of their own.

Family Stories

Your family history may prove fertile ground for storytelling, whether you’re rattling off tales you remember about your mischievous grandmother, sharing what life was like for your family during the Great Depression, or telling stories about life on the old family farm.

Childhood Adventures

Things you remember from your own youth — the day you learned to ride a bike, what it was like selling Girl Scout cookies in the neighborhood, when you lost your first tooth — can provide surprisingly rich fodder for storytelling sessions.

Daily Activities

You may not think there’s much material in everyday activities, but stories about making a loaf of bread, tending the kitchen garden, or taking the dog for a walk can make ideal tales, whether you keep it simple or add your own embellishments.

Everyday Nature

What plans are those squirrels lurking around the birdfeeder making? How does the moon spend the night when everyone else is asleep? How does a caterpillar become a butterfly? Nature has plenty of stories to inspire your tales.

This excerpt is reprinted from Shelli’s “What’s in a story?” feature in the spring 2014 issue of home/school/life. To read the full story, check out the issue.

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