Storytelling is the interactive art of using words and actions to reveal the elements and images of a story while encouraging the listener’s imagination.

If we are fortunate as younger children, we may have persons in our lives who read and/or tell us stories on a regular basis.

If we are fortunate as older children and beyond, we practice and master the skill of storytelling.

Planet Improv started our 2024-25 school sessions a little differently that we have in the past.

We asked the students a question.

“What do the entertainment products (television, movies, theatre shows, songs, books, etc.) have in common?”

Obviously, there could be many correct answers, however, the answer we were looking for was “They tell a story.”

So, our first activity for our students was to tell a story.

It could be a true story about themselves.  It could be a true story about someone they know, like or love.  It could be a completely made-up story.  It could be a long story.  It could be a short story.

It could be an exciting story.  It could be a boring story.

All we asked was that they tell us a story.

Storytelling can help students develop many skills, including:

  • Language development: Storytelling can help students expand their vocabulary and improve their language skills.
  • Imagination: Storytelling can help students use their imagination and picture scenes in their head.
  • Listening skills: Storytelling can help students learn to listen to the storyteller and focus on the story.
  • Communication skills: Storytelling can help students develop their communication skills.
  • Social skills: Storytelling can help students develop social skills.
  • Confidence: Storytelling can help students build confidence.
  • Cultural awareness: Storytelling can help students understand customs and traditions from different cultures.
  • Understanding of morals: Storytelling can help students’ morals and question them.
  • Resilience: Telling family stories can help students build resilience.
  • Understanding of stories: Storytelling can help students understand the stories they read and write good stories.

Story telling can also help students explore their emotions, expose themselves to new ideas, and develop a passion for learning.

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The thing that often pleasantly surprises me is that when I ask a student to express themself, offer an opinion and/or tell a story is that, once they trust me and feel like they are in a safe space, they become brave enough to offer highly personal stories or show imagination beyond anything that I could have ever imagined.  It also offers a glimpse into what is important (or sometimes troubling) to them in their life.

And once one student does so, it encourages many others in the class to do the same.

Then a bonding and sharing of commonalities forms between the student, the educator and their peers.

It also helps introduce, offer the opportunity to practice and strengthen all the emotional and intellectual skills (above.)

Once upon a time an educator asked his students to tell a story.