Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Time For Tots: Story Telling

Growing up I loved stories. I would read for hours and I would fill up notebooks writing my own stories; I thought when I grew up that I wanted to be an author. I still have this love for stories, and luckily so do my kids. We will go the library and get 20 books at a time and come home and sit down and read them all. Since Lucas was little this would be the one time that he would always sit still.

Not only do we like reading stories, but we like creating stories. Every night at dinner the kids will say "daddy tell us a story!" (You can watch one of the stories here) They often ask for a "spooky, spooky story", with monsters and ghosts and goblins or gobbles as Alex calls them. This has led to my kids creating their own stories.

So I figured, since they enjoy telling stories so much-why not teach them the correct terms and a little bit about the different aspects of stories. This week's Time For Tot's is a bit of an English lesson and a lot of creativity and is all about stories.

We began by reading a story that we got from the library, No More Cookies by Paeony Lewis, you can choose any story you like. After we read it I asked them who the characters in the story were and taught them what a character is. We then talked about settings and conflicts and resolutions. We talked about how all stories need these things and I gave more example using the stories that Eric tells at dinner.

We then created a character. We took turns listing traits for our character: red hair, green eyes, square head, triangle body, etc. After we had a good list, I read the list to the kids and they drew the picture of the character we created.

Then we talked about settings. We used the worksheet found here and the kids said what the setting was and what type of characters would be in that setting. At first I was writing down what they said but then I just let the kids tell me and didn't bother writing anything else.
We then created a story by each adding a line. I began the story by saying one line then Alex added a line, than Lucas. Our story ended up being about a cat who used a ton of bricks to build a big tower which turned into bees so the cat had to run inside to be safe. You never know what you will get with kids.

Then we talked about how stories can be told in all different forms, by writing them down, just telling them, acting them out and even through dance. The kids each told a story


It was a fun morning and both were so excited to tell their stories. This day turned out wonderful as not only did they learn a few things but they were just able to create and use their imaginations, something kids do so well and easily.

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Resources:
  • Setting/Character worksheet found on Lanternfish, or here, just select the setting and character link
  • Lists different parts of story and how to teach them on CoreyGreen.com or here
  • Inspiration for a lot of our activities came from Lesson Plan help, or here (This site was not working when I checked today--hopefully will be up again soon)

15 comments:

  1. There's no end to children's imaginations when talking about stories! What awesome ideas you have here and I lvoe that I think I caught Alex saying "The end" at the end of her story- too cute!

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  2. Holy Cow, Woman! I didn't do that much with my pre-schoolers when I homeschooled. Your kids are headed for Harvard. I'd put money on it.

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  3. Too cute! I love the differences in there characters, even though they have the same traits! And Lucas's face is too funny in that picture!

    Their stories were awesome! I love how you can see their very different personalities even in just a little 2 minute snippet! :)

    Your children are adorable, Emmy!

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  4. Alex's voice is just so darling. I loved both of their stories. You are such a fun mom. So so fun! I can't wait to hear their voices is person soon! I love the videos so much.

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  5. Thanks for stopping by yesterday! I can't wait to do my 10 things that made me smile :-)

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  6. This is so awesome! My son and I take turns telling stories. I'll usually tell one first (at his bidding) and then he'll tell one that is almost exactly like mine but with some details changed. It is so cute!

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  7. WOw! That is awesome. I used to write stories all the time. My girls do and Ryan is showing interest. I think I will definitely be giving this a go!!

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  8. seriously, you are the best mother ever! When I grow up can I be as cool as you?

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  9. They both seemed so excited to tell their stories! I loved them! Alex looks like she is a pretty good artist!

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  10. What a fun way to spend time together!

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  11. I just showed this to my kids, they were so into it! They loved your kids' stories. And I decided my favorite part is when Alex says, "then he went away". so cute!

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  12. Oh! Thanks for the wonderful video! I would have never guessed that toy Lucas had would fit in that tube. These made me remember little plays my kids used to make up and do with their cousins. How fun!

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  13. Another awesome Time for Tots. I know it sounds awful but I may use this for my 8 year old. He is brilliant, but creating and writing stories scares the heck out of him.

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