Teaching Children

1
Section 3

• Teaching Children

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Chapter 10

• Stories and Storytelling

3
Importance of Stories

• Listening to a story involves the while child
• Focuses his concentration
• Quiets his body
• Grabs his heart
• Acting out a story involves the whole child
• Focuses his imagination
• Activates his body
• Grabs his heart.

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How to Prepare and Tell a Story

• Select a great story
• Learn the story
• Select props
• Practice out loud

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How to Prepare and Tell a Story

• Get their attention
• Tell main events in logical sequence
• Make story sound natural and true
• Close your story at the peak of interest and
  conviction
• Engage the children in a discussion of the story
• Prayer is essential

6
Action Stories

• Spontaneous skits
• Scripted Skits Plays
• Role Play

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Spontaneous Skits

• New Bible Stories
• Read or tell the story first
• Ask for volunteers to act out the story
• Rely on volunteers but encourage everyone

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Spontaneous Skits

• New Bible Stories
• Timid children can be in crowd scenes
• Assign parts and help organize the action
• Provide costumes and other props, as needed
• Help children make simple props
• Practice actions ahead of time

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Familiar Bible Stories

• Consider having the children act out familiar
  stories
• Review the story line
• Select volunteers for acting

10
Playing the Bible Story

• Kindergartners love costumes and props to add to
  the realism of their play activities
• Beginners love props, but you will have a hard
  time getting them into a costume
• Beginners love to do part of the story
• Younger children to experience the Bible story in
  spontaneous ways often

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Experiencing Life Stories Through Play

• A corner for imitating life stories
• Grown-up props
• Hats, shoes, purses, ties, clothes, and etc.
• Neutral, basic toys
• Use guided conversation

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Scripted Skits and Plays

• Scripted skits
• Quite short
• Require little or no rehearsal
• The action and the message are written into the
  script
• Plays
• Longer, more formal
• Require rehearsal, costumes, scenery, and props

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Short Rehearsed Skits

• Short, rehearsed skits
• focus on the message you are teaching
• Especially useful with juniors and earliteens
• Primaries can do if adult helps organize and
  provides enough rehearsal so the children feel
  comfortable
• Especially good for imaginative learners and
  kinesthetic-intelligent children

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How to Use Short Scripted Skits

• Preparation
• Find or write a suitable script and make copies
• Determine where the stage will be
• Prepare debriefing questions
• If necessary, arrange for a sound system

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How to Use Short Scripted Skits

• Step-by-Step Instructions
• Select actors for each role
• Provide scripts to each actor
• Provide supervised practice time (if needed)
• Introduce the skit to the class
• Have the students present the skit
• Reflect (debrief) on the skit experience in small
  discussion groups

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Formal Religious Plays

• Usually for Christmas or special holidays
• Contact publishers of religious materials for
  children for scripts
• Consider
• Abilities of your children
• Adult help available
• Time available
• The ease or difficulty of scheduling rehearsals
• Pantomine is an easier way to produce a
  childrens religious play

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Combined Spontaneous and Rehearsed Skits

• Pantomimes
• Children act out the story but do not say
  anything
• Can be spontaneous or rehearsed ahead of time
• Charades
• The class tries to guess what story is being
  acted out
• Pantomimes and charades
• Are fun
• Help children show their comprehension and
  interpretation of Biblical stories

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Role Play

• Purpose
• To apply Biblical principles
• Practice problem-solving
• Rehearse potential responses to real-life
  challenges
• Commonsense learners and dynamic learners
  appreciate

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Role Play, Step by Step

• Introduce the problem story
• Select the actors
• Chose the setting
• Assign tasks to the observers
• Enactment
• Discussion/reflection on the role play (including
  suggestions for re-enacting the scene)
• Repeat enactment/discussion at least twice
• Final debriefing connect the role play to real
  life.

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Ideas for Bible Stories

• Costumes and Props
• Collect props like wooden bowls, shepherds
  staff, grass mats, baskets, and stuffed animals.
• Robe Double the length that you want the robe.
  Fold in half lengthwise. Cut a small slit in
  the fold for the neck. Stitch around the
  opening. Cut a small triangle off to the side to
  make the armholes. Stitch the sides up. Use
  rope to tie the robe.

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Ideas for Bible Stories

• Costumes and Props
• Tunic or outer garment Use a straight piece of
  material for this. It covers the head and wraps
  around the shoulders. A piece of rope or an
  elastic band can be used to secure the headpiece.
  The sash for males was called a Kesiya, the one
  for females a shawl. This was also used at night
  for their blanket.

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Ideas for Bible Stories

• Costumes and Props
• Girdle or Belt Use rope or a piece of material
  6 inches wide. Wrap around the waist and tie or
  twist. Sandals Use sandals or go barefooted.

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Ideas for Bible Stories

• General Ideas
• Have a variety of sizes--child, youth, and adult.
  
• Store a complete costume on a hanger ready for
  use.
• Check with charitable organizations or a resale
  shop for solid-color bath robes.

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Ideas for Bible Stories

• General Ideas
• At Halloween or carnival time look for other
  costumes which will add to the stories, such as a
  Roman soldier, an angel, swords, a king, a
  princess, etc.

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Ideas for Bible Stories

• General Ideas
• The styles for everyone were the same
• Quality of the cloth and number of layers
  differed for rich and poor
• Poor people used earth tones, while the rich used
  more elaborate whites and colors

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Ideas for Bible Stories

• Felts
• Felts are wonderful for stories which build up a
  sequence, such as the creation of the world
• Felts do not work well for action stories
• Use felts like a picture

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Ideas for Bible Stories

• Felts
• Use felt figures for reviewing the previous
  weeks Bible story in small groups
• Use felts to review Bible memory verses
• Create a felt corner in the Kindergarten room
• Keep your felts organized by number

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Ideas for Bible Stories

• Bible Reading
• Choral read the entire story directly from the
  Bible.
• For kindergarten and younger primary children,
  read the story yourself, asking the children to
  mime the actions or respond with words or actions
  to certain parts of the story.

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Ideas for Bible Stories

• Bible Reading
• Ask older children to read the story from the
  Bible and then respond with drawing, writing,
  constructing an object, or doing a short skit.
• Read the Bible story yourself and stop at key
  points of high drama or emotion.
• Use the Bible to review the previous weeks
  story.

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Ideas for Bible Stories

• Other Ideas
• Videos or audio tapes
• Chalkboard
• Pictures
• Picture or word sequence
• Diorama

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Ideas for Bible Stories

• Other Ideas
• Video production
• Computer Bible games
• Objects
• Bible story songs
• Bible story action verses

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Ideas for Nature Stories

• Select a nature story to teach a spiritual truth
• A nature story is not a biology lesson
• For primary children, the spiritual truth should
  be on a very simple level
• For juniors, it can be symbolic
• Be sure your nature facts are correct
• Show the real thing, if possible

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Ideas for Character-building Stories

• Select a story your children can identify with
• Emphasize positive behavior whenever possible.
• Be careful not to give the wrong impression
• All children who return wallets don't get rewards
• Follow the guidelines for telling a story
  presented in this chapter
• Drawing the children into a discussion of the
  story

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Ideas for Object Lessons (Parables)

• Practice ahead of time to be sure your experiment
  or demonstration will turn out as planned
• Focus on the lesson to be taught, not the "trick"
  or the technique involved
• Try a Mission Mystery corner
• Select objects children see every day
• The object itself does not teach

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KEYS to Stories and Storytelling

• Select a story to touch kids hearts with the
  message for the day.
• Consider many options for presenting the Bible
  story. Select the best option for the story and
  your childrens interests and abilities.
• Organize props needed for the story or skit.

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KEYS to Stories and Storytelling

• Create a safe climate where children will feel
  comfortable participating in actions stories of
  all types.
• When planning your program, consider different
  types of stories and different ways of telling
  them.
• Use guided conversation to help young children
  learn through playing a story or life experience.
• Use role play to give children an opportunity to
  try many different ways to approach a problem
  situation.