by Melody Williams

Created on: April 20, 2009   Last Updated: April 21, 2009

The educational benefits of storytelling in early childhood education are phenomenal to say the least. Children love to be read to, and also love to read. Children who are to young to read still see themselves as readers each time they pick up a book. It does not matter if they can not read the words, they look at the pictures and make wonderful stories out of each page. That is what it is all about, pre-reading and pre-literacy.

I have spent twenty plus years working with young children in one form or another. I found long ago that God has given me the wonderful talent of storytelling. I find no better pleasure than reading to children. To be a good storyteller, one must learn to personify the characters in the books. Children like to be a part of the story and to hear different voices and see movement when they are being told a story. They enjoy books that have loud parts, singing parts, and action parts. They want to respond to the story and to be a part of the story. When I read 'Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus' I wear a bus drivers cap. I give wait time for the children to yell in unison NO! each time I ask to drive the bus. When I read 'Where the Wild Things Are' I become the voices of the Wild Things and make the sounds of the wild things. Though I read several hundred books a year to children, my favorite is 'The Little Old Lady Who Wasn't Afraid of Anything'. I found an old torn top hat at our local theater, purchased a pair of white gloves, found an old hat much like a woman's night cap as seen on Little House on the Prairie,and I use my dads old work boots for props. With old glasses donned on the end of my nose and the night cap I begin the story. As it progresses I change hats and put on the gloves. The children squeal in delight each time they do the motions of the pending scarecrow with me. They wait in great anticipation for the exact time they can shout BOO! As I progress and the scarecrow is saddened by the old lady's words I soften my voice to a near whisper with tones of sadness and tears before they once again look forward to the last chance to shout BOO! Not only does reading stories like these give children pleasure in hearing them, it also creates a love for books, a desire to read, opportunity to learn new vocabulary, and the chance to go places they may never otherwise go.

I teach a Pre-k class through our local head start, which I have been doing for three years. One of our favorite times of the day is 'book look'. It is a time when the teachers can sit on the floor with the children and read to each child individually. While we are reading to a child, the other children are reading to each other. Often times they will choose a familiar book that has been read throughout the year, thus allowing them to tell the story in their own words which are very close to the actual words in the book. Other times they will choose books that are visually appealing and make up the story as they look at the pictures on each page. It is amazing how closely they come to the actual story. Some times the children are so engrossed in reading to each other, they don't ask a teacher to read to them. These are my personal favorite times. I love to watch as each child makes the sound of the animals in their book, or they work diligently to remember the words to sing to their book. Seventeen children, reading to themselves or their friend, engrossed in their own story, oblivious to all the other voices doing the same thing. I find it to be like music to my ears. Storytelling brings reality, history, are the desire to continue to read as well as a love for books.

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