The Art of the Storyteller - The Oral Tradition

Telling Stories to Kids is still necessary today

Since before recorded history, storytelling has been a method of communicating on a society's traditions and beliefs down through the generations - both in written and oral format. It's true to say, storytelling is one of the oldest art forms still existing. It is common worldwide and in almost every known language there is a word or phrase which has the meaning "storyteller."

An ancient Egyptian papyrus contains the first known reference to storytelling, although early writings from Ancient Greece also refer to the telling of stories, but don't go into details about how the art was practised. Greek and Roman writers are responsible for the term "bard" entering the English language. The word was described someone who related incidents or told stories and is still in use in Ireland and Wales today.

Indian storytellers wandered between villages carrying a large picture sheet called a kalamkari which they used to illustrate the story they were telling. In China travelling storytellers visited the homes of the wealthy to entertain them with fairytales and other stories.

There is a rich heritage of storytelling across the African continent, many cultures having a history of epic story-poems recited by several hereditary storytellers in each village. In the same way the tribes of North America and the Australian Aborigines have a complex oral tradition with stories, poems, religious and tribal knowledge, making up a complex culture, all handed down through the generations orally.

Storytelling has always been an important means of passing on traditions and maintaining social harmony. The storyteller can vividly convey religious beliefs, "explain" the mysteries of the the world around the listener or transport their listeners into an inner world of fantasy. You may wonder why storytelling continues to be so important in today's computer age society ....

We should carry on telling stories in order to:

- assist children to learn to listen - enlarge their vocabularies - extend their knowledge and understanding of the difference between fact and fantasy - stimulate their imagination - inspire them to reach for a book to get more stories for themselves - introduce storytelling as a shared, interactive experience between the author, or storyteller, and their audience.

Unlike TV, video, DVD or other electronic media, storytellers are a direct interface between the story and the audience. They can change pace, alter or explain a difficult concept and emphasise, play down, or omit entirely, a particular event, depending upon the needs of those listening.

The storyteller therefore is as important to a largely literate, electronic world as he or she was to a largely illiterate one in times gone by. But if you have been asked to tell a story to a group of youngsters you may be asking yourself ... Where do I start? How do I know my story will be interesting and fun?

You may be a nursery or kindergarten teacher, or perhaps be involved with a Playgroup, Bible or other Faith School. Maybe you want some quality personal time with your own children or grandchildren. It's a rainy afternoon and you're faced with little expectant faces waiting to be entertained. How do you keep them all enthralled by your tale?

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