story telling to children part 3

Story telling to children (part 3)

Story telling to children is a good time to teach kids values and moral lessons. We have one of the best times when we teach the lessons in life through these stories. We can teach values to kids in different ways and situations. For instance, you instructed the kid not to get or pick the flowers of your neighbor but yet he had done it anyway; and suddenly an ant bites his hands or your neighbor sees it and gets angry, which made the child cry. Then you start to teach the kid the importance of not stealing and the consequence of it. Yes this is a good way to teach a child this value but the down side is he has to get through some pain. Whereas, story telling can teach the same value with fun and yet get the same importance; like for instance the story of "Beauty and the Beast" or "Achan and Joshua" (a Bible story), this stories is teaching the lesson about stealing and the results of it. Though I will not discredit that experience is a good teacher, but teaching (literally) can also help avoid experiencing the negative consequences of doing what is wrong. It creates a good fear on those negative values. Since it is innate in children the wrong and right thing, the parent's responsibility is to complement the right thing through teaching values, and storytelling is one of our greatest tool to do that.

Story telling to children is also the time to create a bond with the parent or caregiver and a child or children. Almost all (if not all) kids love to hear stories. It is built up in a person's system. The fact that most people watch TV or movies it means that we all like stories in one way or the other. The time that you do story telling to children is also the time of bonding. It creates an opening for you to say something to the child that will make the child important and special. It is also creates an opening for a child to develop trust since he will know that you are there to listen to his views and feelings. In other words it creates an atmosphere of openness and communication. Of which communication is one of the foundations of a good relationship. Your time spent on story telling alone speaks a thousand words to the child. It means to him that he is worth your time and effort. It creates an atmosphere of love and trust.

Story telling to children is a very simple thing but yet its benefits are great, of little time but its effects last through a lifetime, of little effort but its effects vast, of little investment but with great returns, of sowing simple values and lessons but reaping a harvest of good character, views, and principles. Now is the best way to start story telling to your kids.