OC ’12: How to Creatively Tell Stories to Preschoolers

This seminar was led by Kendra Fleming from Northpointe.

There is nothing better than watching a storyteller capture the attention of a few hundred three and four year olds.  You know that she has them in the palm of her hand when they are laughing, touching their noses, whispering, or yelling the bottom line.  You can easily engage preschoolers if you use a few simple techniques.

1. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

• Preschoolers can learn so much during this age
• Storytellers need to repeat simple, key phrases the same way.  It should be done the same way over and over again no matter who the storyteller is

2. Solicit a response.

• Ask them a question.  They LOVE to know the answer.
• Find ways to ask a question to them that gets a response.

3. Connect an action.

• Actions are fun!  Fun makes things memorable.
• They aren’t wire to sit still for 20 minutes.
• When you attach a motion you help them be involved in the story and make the story memoriable.
• It helps them also retell what they learned to their parents

4. Be DRAMATIC!

• Preschoolers are primed to use their imaginations.
• You need to paint the picture for the children to get it.
• It keeps the preschoolers with you.

5. Pause.

• Slow down and give preschoolers time to respond.

6. Change the tone.

• Change grabs a child’s attention.  Use it strategically in your storytelling.

Your storytellers need to practice beforehand.  Make sure they know it!  Your team of storytellers need to get into a system of rehearsing their script so they know it.

Conclusion: Bible stories are full of emotions, drama, passion, and many unbelievable and fantastic scenes.  They are stories that tell us what God is really like.  Communicating these stories to preschoolers is an important job.  It’s a job worth doing well!