Capturing Kids through StorytellingBy Michele' Triplett
Would you like to have every kid in class not only hearing you tell the bible story but actually wanting to listen to what happens next? Here are 10 tips to keep in mind the next time you share a bible story in class.
1. Make sure you are familiar with your story. You cannot tell a captivating story if you don’t know the story by heart. It’s kind of like telling a joke… and forgetting the punch line. One way to get a story into your memory and heart is to read through your story once, then read it through again out loud. On the third read through put some emotion into it and on the fourth read through try to tell it from memory with dramatic emphasis. It helps to believe in your story because then you will tell it from your heart not your head.
2. Change it up:
Change direction if the story calls for it.
Change level if the character sits down or kneels or lay’s down.
Change tempo + speed if you are talking about slowing down or running away.
Change facial expressions depending on the emotional content of the story.
Change body gestures if the story relates. Waving, covering face, making fists, hands on hips, etc.
Change body gestures if the story relates. Waving, covering face, making fists, hands on hips, etc.
Change your voice level depending on the context of the story.
Change your voice level depending on the context of the story.
Emphasize certain words. Whisper when the story talks about how quiet it was. Jump up and down or dance if the story calls for a celebration. Show sadness if you are talking about something sad.
Change your voice level depending on the context of the story.
Emphasize certain words. Whisper when the story talks about how quiet it was. Jump up and down or dance if the story calls for a celebration. Show sadness if you are talking about something sad.
3. Don’t feel like you have to tell it word for word according to the way it is written in the lesson. Make sure you’ve noted the main points and key information about the story. Trust the Holy Spirit then to bring it back to your memory because you have prepared and it’s in your heart.
4. When telling the story think about the setting. What was it like to live in that world, time, and environment? What was going on in the culture, hearts, and minds of the characters? When you understand your characters environment you can make your story even more engaging. Include some interesting props or facts that might have been a part of the setting at the time.
5. When telling the story get into character. Imagine what it was like to be going through or experiencing what the character was experiencing at the time. Think about how they might have felt or how they might have responded. If possible dress up to emphasize their character. Bring in sound effects and use them at unexpected times.
6. Don’t forget audience participation! Find ways to involve your audience. Include ways they can participate that appeal to their senses and imaginations. If at all possible bring them into the story. They could be a character or involve them with props, sound, or events happening at the time.
7. Add some music! Have you ever watched an intense or moving scene in a movie with the sound muted? The right music played at the right time can make the scene and help the audience connect to the story in an even deeper way.
8. Think creatively… If your budget doesn’t allow for props and costumes don’t give up! There is always a way to created more excitement and sound. If a scene calls for a buzzer and you have no buzzer, recruit a human buzzer and a tapper (child). Each time you need the buzzing sound have the tapper tap the human buzzers head which prompts a buzzing sound. Need waves? Use material! No wind, rain or thunder and lightning…. Several kids blowing and clanging or crinkling paper will do the trick!
9. Keep them guessing. One of the best ways to get kids to remember your story and even talk about it on the way home or at school the next day is to bring variety and the element of surprise into your story. Ask yourself, what can I do to shock them, catch them off guard, and surprise them? If your story has a snake in it… why not include a real one. Does your story include water? Why not let them experience the feeling of how wet it really was!
10. Have fun! The more relaxed and into the story you are the more your audience will enjoy listening to it. Be dramatic!
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