Reviving the Age Old Art of Storytelling through Workshops and Classes

Listening to fairytales was a favorite pastime among the children from yesteryears. The practice of storytelling has unfortunately disappeared, and the blame goes to increasingly busy lifestyles and hectic schedules. Parents find it easy to make children sit before the television while they attend to their daily chores. In addition, exposure to digital entertainment, even before kids learn to walk, is causing more harm than we can imagine. As there are too many electronic distractions in every urban home, it is difficult to engage kids by telling stories. This is where storytelling workshops can help.

Storytelling Workshops and Classes

Storytelling classes and workshops are reviving the art of storytelling, welcoming people from all age groups. The classes help aspiring storytellers bring stories to life, and keep the listeners engaged, until the curtains are drawn.

Typically, storytelling workshops are conducted in the following manner:

• A spacious venue sans distractions is used and the organizers call the children at a time when their minds are free from the pressure of school
• The audience (usually children) are warmed up to the inspiring stories that the story tellers would tell
• After creating an environment suitable for storytelling, they will start with familiar phrases, such as “Once upon a time” and lead the children into a world of imagination
• Engaging storytellers infuse their narrative with mimicry of imaginary characters, include interesting settings and plots, and definite problem resolutions
• Variety in pace, movement and volume, especially tricks like some quiet moments after an energetic activity prove to be very effective in storytelling workshops
• Encouraging kids to add sound effects to the stories, such as roar of lion or blowing of horn, or engaging them with related phrases, such as “Run as hard as you can!”

Children love to hear stories if they are not distracted, and they simply love this platform that story telling classes provides for sharing them. Organizers also include some adults in these classes who can narrate inspirational stories, folk tales, moral stories, stories about virtues of unity and cooperation, and spiritual stories.

Finding a Storytelling Workshop Near You

Finding a storytelling workshop or class close to your home is not very difficult. You need to find a search portal that provides listings of all the extra-curricular activities close to your home. Online children’s activity program finders allow you to search the ideal extra-curricular activity program in your city with just a few clicks.