Every culture is rich with oral tradition<\/a>, with stories that tell of its history and its heroes. Every family has its own stories\u2014serious stories and funny stories. Stories may tell of actual events, or they may be complete fiction. Family storytelling encourages a love for good stories and good reading.<\/p>\n Parts Of A Story<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Parents can use stories to instill in their children a love for words, reading, and literature. By learning how a story is constructed, parents can become expert storytellers. They can also teach their children to tell stories.<\/p>\n What stories do your children enjoy? Think of a fairy tale<\/a>, real family adventure<\/a>, episode from your life, or other story your children have enjoyed hearing from you.<\/p>\n Take turns telling stories with your family. Talk about the beginning (introduction), middle (problem), and end (solution) of the story.<\/p>\n Active Listening<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Good listening requires just as much skill and effort as good speaking. Explaining this to children helps them to be better listeners in school, with family, and with their friends. The following rules for ACTIVE listening are helpful:<\/p>\n Practice active listening by pairing up. One partner starts telling a story, and the other partner uses active listening. Use a timer or a third person to signal the partners to switch roles every 20 seconds for several rounds of speaking and listening. Then talk about what you remember from the storyteller and how it felt when you were the one speaking and the partner was practicing active listening.<\/p>\n
\nStories are also the basis of literature.<\/p>\n\n
Family Stories<\/h3>\n
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Story Circles<\/h3>\n