National Storytelling Week 2024: Support and ideas for storytelling
In 2024, National Storytelling Week takes place from 27 January to 4 February. It is a fabulous annual event to celebrate and reflect on the power of sharing stories. This year we’re working with The Scouts to provide Squirrels leaders with resources to incorporate storytelling into their sessions for 4 to 6 year olds.
Bookmark works closely with children in areas of deprivation and from various disadvantaged backgrounds (including children receiving Pupil Premium, looked after children, children who use English as an additional language, and children from ethnic minorities) as “the most disadvantaged pupils still leave school a year behind their non-disadvantaged peers[1]”.
Improving children’s literacy can be one factor that helps them overcome deprivation and disadvantage[2]. If these children are supported to improve their literacy, they will grow into adults with competent literacy skills and their outcomes in terms of health and employment may improve[3].
For children living in areas of deprivation, which are being hardest hit by the cost-of-living crisis, reading materials can be hard to come by. In 2023 the National Literacy Trust found that “1 in 5 parents said they were buying fewer books for their children, increasing to 1 in 3 (36.1%) of those who were struggling financially as a result of the cost-of-living crisis [4]".
How can storytelling benefit children?
Storytelling can encourage a life-long love of reading: the link between storytelling and reading for pleasure
Storytelling is more than just reading the text in a book aloud. It can be used to create a sense of wonder and magic to unlock all the benefits of reading. Embedding storytelling as part of a child’s day will support them to become engaged and confident storytellers themselves and have a love of stories. Storytelling can also encourage a life-long love of reading and support children to improve their literacy skills. As well as being a joyful experience for both the teller and the listener!
Here are some top tips from Bookmark to spark the joy of reading in your storytelling.
Storytelling top tips:
Set up storytelling time to be engaging - It’s important to set up an engaging atmosphere when introducing a story so that children are hooked from the start.
If you’re sharing a physical book that includes illustrations, make sure the children all get the opportunity to see what is on the page.
Before you even start your storytelling session, give a sneak peek of the story! Whether this is the title, a picture, the blurb or a character, it will get the children’s brains whirring.
Pick out a couple of elements that the children can ‘lookout’ for during the story and let them know at the start that you want them to signal once you come across it in the story (the signal could be raising a hand, clapping or waving).
Ask them if they’d like to talk about the pictures, tell the story, read the words, or even make up what they think the story might be about.
Then, keep children involved throughout the story -
Speak clearly and vary the volume, pitch and tempo of your voice whilst reading aloud. Don’t be afraid to exaggerate different expressions and create character voices – it helps children distinguish between characters and recognise the emotions you are displaying!
When using actions, get the children involved too. For example, asking the children to do a certain action every time a repeated word is said. If you can’t find one of these words, create an action yourself, maybe for turning the page!
Sound effects themselves are very engaging! There will be plenty of words or character actions in stories that you can create a sound effect for and ask the children to join in too.
Story Time Activity Badge
Young people who attend Squirrels can achieve the Story Time Activity badge. The badge gives Squirrel’s the opportunity to be fully immersed in a story, talk about what they’ve learned, ask questions, and enter a magical world of their own.
Would you like to volunteer?
You can sign up to spark the joy of reading in a child. Bookmark volunteers spend one hour a week, during the school day, reading stories and playing games with a child aged between five and ten years old on a secure online platform. The programme involves two 30-minute sessions a week with the same child, for six weeks.