The art of storytelling

After a gruelling day's work, chances are that you are dead tired and yearn to skip supper altogether and crawl wearily into your comfy bed fully clothed to catch up on 40 winks of uninterrupted sleep.

Regrettably, for most parents this luxury is just not an option! As bedtime approaches, tantrums escalate as some children simply refuse to associate night-time with sleeping and insist on wrecking their caregivers' nerves with yells of protest.

Anyone familiar with this mysterious phenomenon should not despair! This is where the coveted art of storytelling could come in handy to placate an upcoming wobbly and aid your children to cool off in preparation for (a hopefully) deep slumber.

Storytelling not only ensures that you get a well-deserved rest from any impending end-of-the-day chaos but it also aids you to spend much needed quality time with your children. The benefits of this creative interactive activity are endless and one must not dimly undermine its importance in bridging the gap between the bleak reality and the enchanting world of fantasy.

Storytelling chiefly

•  Cultivates an atmosphere of intimacy and relaxation;

•  Stimulates children's imagination and instils creativity;

•  Enhances listening and concentration skills;

•  Leads to a higher cognitive response in language development;

•  Motivates children to write and read;

•  Fosters an intrinsic motivation in learning;

•  Encourages empathy;

•  Aids children to understand different cultures, religions and historic eras.

As a parent, you can also transform storytelling as a creative session where you and your children invent and narrate stories to each other. Some of you by now are probably shaking their head vigorously and muttering that they definitely do not possess the required ability or knowledge to dare set up such an activity with your children.

However, you do not need to be an expert in literature skills to initiate an interactive barter of imaginative tales. Just keep it simple and to the point. You will find that your young ones will eagerly respond to your efforts!

Most evenings, I usually conjure up a story with the blissful aid of my soon-to-be three-year-old. Then I boldly write it down on different coloured cardboard sheets, before we both engross ourselves in drawing appropriate cartoons and sticking any pictures that happen to catch our fancy.

In the meantime, my teething one-year-old chuckles with delight as he listens to the story and mischievously attempts to scrunch up our precious work of art into a scruffy paper ball. Luckily, we usually manage to salvage it from his iron grip and try hard to ignore the ragged set of haphazard teeth marks on its surface.

The situation might not be ideal but on the upside we have loads of fun and my children's creative streak is surprisingly already rearing its head.

By listening to specific designed or modified stories, children can also be assisted to adjust to new situations and changes. This ensures that they embrace a particular event, such as the arrival of a new family addition with more ease and confidence. So gone are the old rusty days when mummy's growing bump was explained as weight gain and the arrival of a new sibling was an inexplicable sudden and, needless to say, confusing event!

Instilling storytelling skills in your children is entertaining and quite easy! All children harbour a source of imagination. Your job is to coax their artistic side out into the open where it may be utilised resourcefully.

Some children lack confidence in their abilities, so it is important to praise their efforts and genuinely listen to their story. You can further aid your children to develop their characters through role play and encourage them to find an appropriate voice to represent different individuals in their story.

Storytelling may also be used as a therapeutic means. If you are concerned about your youngster's unvoiced troubles, you can initiate a story and ask her/him to continue it. This activity empowers young ones to express pent up emotions such as fear, doubt and perturbing concerns lurking within the subconscious. Exchanging stories with your offspring also leads to the development of a "shared knowledge" and a "shared experience" which enhances communication.

Children have an innate appreciation for stories, so the importance that this medium has in developing their learning and artistic skills should be highlighted. Unfortunately, many working parents only have the time to engage in this activity before bedtime.

However, storytelling may take place at any time of the day. So if you feel burdened by the stress of parenthood and feel that you simply are not enjoying your offspring enough, engage in a storytelling session. You'll never look back again!