ONCE UPON A TIME… our children would cuddle up to their grandparents and listen to stories of all kinds. Today however, nuclear families have destroyed this bond and in turn the Art of Storytelling. Working parents and modern technology has surely made our children techno savvy but values can be seen dwindling.
In this age of communication everybody seems to be talking; people as well as machines. The irony however is that nobody seems to be listening. The Art of Story Telling therefore has a host of benefits such as:
- Enhancing and encouraging listening skills.
- Helping in the creating skills of a fantasy journey.
- Feeding curiosity for new words.
- Helping focus attention to listening – a dying art.
- Teaching the child focused understanding.
- Helping the child to interact with the storyteller.
- Making children bold enough to think differently.
- Freeing children from the stress of examinations.
- Helping link the past.
- Giving a glimpse into the future.
Studies have proved that children absorb most of the words which they make use of in later life, during infancy. Therefore, if we wish to save our children from drowning in the whirlpool of inhuman technology, this art of storytelling is something that needs immediate attention.
Machine knowledge many times uses a child’s brain like a dumping ground. She may listen to or read with the help of digital medium without any scope for interaction. In contrast, AOST is all about interaction with others and helps enlarge one’s imagination and promotes visualisation. Stories can be of different kinds. Such as:
- Stories with morals.
- Stories for fun.
- Stories which provoke thinking.
Storytelling is a time of subtle learning, where children enjoy listening to fun-filled information without the stress of examinations or the ‘What if I forget’ kind of fear. Their memory willingly absorbs all information and also retains it for life.
Fast paced visual media blocks mental development, whereas AOST opens up all blockages of prison education releasing the child into the freedom of real learning.
So dear parent, what are you waiting for? Collect stories with which you could fill the hungry mind of your child and don’t ever allow her to go to bed without sharing a story with her.
— Ruby Malshe —
She is a lecturer in a Mumbai college. And has written a novel, a book of short stories and a book of poems. She also has a blog ‘Thoughtful Whispers’ where she regularly posts matters of general and spiritual interest which need attention. Ruby is also a motivational speaker and talks on different issues about women, life and children.