Storytelling Tips for babies

- children loved to be told stories
- storytelling can be memorable and fun for both the parent and child

Tips for storytelling
1. Capture attention
- remove distractions eg. Turn off the TV or radio so as to get the child's undivided attention
- maintain some degree of eye contact with child so that he feels that you're telling him a story instead of reading

2. Be enthusiastic- tell the story with zeal
- sound eager and give the sense that it is an exciting story worth listening to

3. Hold your child's attention- give your characters different voices
- vary your facial expressions and use funny gestures
- speed up and slow down, speak louder or whisper at different points of the story to create excitement and set the mood

4. Use props- eg. puppets, toys or even a musical instrument to create sound effects, are also excellent for holding your little one's attention and making the storytelling more fun


5. Involve your child- invite your child to be the one helping the spider find its friend or to create the sound effects in the story
- children enjoy repetition and often spontaneously participate in parts that are repeated so build in simple lines that can be repeated by your child

6. Heed your child's cue- your child may start getting restless fast so you don't have to finish the story at one go
- take the cue from him and stop whenever your child shows that he's tired or has lost interest

7. Last but not least- storytelling can be done anywhere
- eg. while feeding him, during bath time or while waiting in the car or train
- some families make storytelling a regular feature in their daily lives eg. incorporating it into child's bedtime routine
- may make storytelling a family ritual so this precious moment of interaction with child does not get pushed aside when you get busy
- your child will remember the tales you shared and the close bonding moments he had with you