…understand that through storytelling, you are speaking their language. The language of dreams. The language of possibility.
To these fears, I say “there was once a man who was afraid to talk. He was worried about what it would sound like – would he growl? Would he hoot? Would he squawk? But then, one day he saw that a child was about to fall into a trap he himself made to catch coyotes. The child was too far away to reach so he finally called out, “Stop”. The child stopped. The child was fine – and this was because of what he had spoken.”
So that was a story. The intention was to get you to get past your fear, reframe storytelling, and then motivate you to open your mouth and speak. Is your child afraid of the dark? Tell them a story about a mouse who has the same fear and then – because darkness is a part of life – he gets over it. Just make it up and keep talking until the story it over. It’s that simple. It doesn’t need to be profound or even insightful. You just need to show your child that you care enough to try.
And you will be amazed. Sometimes a single story can make all the difference. Bullying? Tell a story. Moving to a new home? Tell a story. Dog is going to be put to sleep? Tell a story. Explain later, if you have to – but understand that through storytelling, you are speaking their language. The language of dreams. The language of possibility. Plus it is a lot of fun.
Originally published HERE.
David Sewell McCann found storytelling to be so powerful and effective, he became a full-time storyteller. He tell stories to thousands of children every day, world wide through his website www.sparklestories.com. His theory about the power of storytelling has found evidence in the many, many emails he’s received from parents over they years, describing how their ‘sensitive children’ can relax and feel reassured when they listen to Sparkle’s stories. For more storytelling instruction, go to the blog.
