Create A Storytelling Program That Flows

Whether you are preparing a storytelling program for preschoolers; elementary, middle school, junior high or high schoolers; families or adults; or groups at museums, festivals or fairs; it is important to plan a program that flows easily, yet also holds together. This will help keep your audience, no matter the age, with you the whole way. Here are some ideas that should help achieve those purposes.

Start with interaction. This can be a light and humorous story that gets your audience to interact with laughter, or it can be a “call and response” story where the audience repeats an easy phrase when you say another or give them a prompt. Or, with younger children, I have a silly song we sing together with animal names and sounds that they volunteer. And, I have another story where we use our hands and fingers to learn an easy story together for them to take home to their families. I also suggest interaction throughout the program, especially with the younger children. Everyone, including adults, enjoys being involved in the telling. An interesting note: I have a rap piece that has a chorus. It is a take-off on the true story Acres of Diamonds. I found that even though the chorus is repeated several times, that adults were so concerned about getting it right that they didn’t listen to my portion. So before my program I hand out a small piece of paper including the chorus (and my name and phone number for future contact).

Pick a theme. There are stories that fit any theme you might choose. And choosing a theme will give the marketing of your program coherence. For stories told near April 1st, I found great “trickster” tales from all over the world and stories that related to all ages. Of course, ghost stories fit in perfectly around the time of Halloween — just be sure to check ahead to find out the policy for scary stories and ghost stories. Most children from the age of eight and above love scary stories, but I am cautious about telling them to younger children. Another fun theme is love and marriage. There are many husband and wife stories. For Earth Day celebrations, there are more animal and earth related stories than you can imagine. And, of course, there are stories about magic, health, courage, creativity, and overcoming fear and obstacles.

Develop a repertoire of stories of various lengths. I love having short, light stories to intersperse between the longer, more serious stories. They can serve as a bridge and a transition, especially for younger audiences. There are tellers, like Donald Davis, who fill a program with only one or two longer stories, but often those longer stories are actually a series of short stories (humorous and serious) that hold together and finally all join in resolution at the end of his program. The shorter stories are also handy if you start running short of time, or if you are telling in a situation where people are coming and going — for example at a museum event or in a tent at a fair or festival.

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