Children have our attention every time they hear ‘story time’, but where do we find these stories? Here’s a quick list of sources to dig into.
As opposed to reading directly from a book, a child is more engaged when a parent tells them a story.
But these stories don’t have to necessarily be invented. You can derive inspiration from, what is around you and practice narrating it to yourself or your partner, before the actual story session with your child.
Read this Storytelling for toddlers: Which story to tell? to know more about choosing age appropriate stories.
Inspirations for story ideas for your storytelling session with your little one.
Books
It is crucial that we remember to pick stories that are age appropriate no matter which source you borrow from. If you want to share a familiar fairytale, find the original version by the Brothers Grimm. To keep the stories authentic and to leave room for the child to exercise their imagination.
You can also try Indian publications like Tulika (@tulika.books), Pratham (@pbstoryweaver) and many others to find age-appropriate stories for your child.
For more ideas you can visit
A Photograph
An easy way to find a good story is to just find inspiration from an old picture or an event.
Use an old photograph which is bursting with possibilities. Depending on the child’s interest and age, you can describe in as much detail as you would like.
For eg. A birthday picture: you could recollect that special birthday dress, printed with tiny yellow flowers or the trimmed lace which felt like soft feather, or the softest birthday cake filled with chocolate chips, or the great big smile when you saw your friends, and so on.
An event from your own life
Think about your walk around the neighbourhood and describe the houses you saw - the gulmohar tree in full bloom or the colourful rangoli outside the gate, or the animals and people you met.
You could also talk about a trip to the market; use real fruits and vegetables to describe how you purchased your groceries. Telling the story in a linear way, setting up with what happened before and after the event can begin to introduce to your child the sequence of your story.
Any little event, or a memory from the past, or a favourite original fairytale can become a great storytime experience for you and your child. Try to repeat the story several times so it helps your child take comfort in the familiar narrative, and soon you will marvel at the wonderful changes storytime brings, and cherish the experience and memory created.