Creating a Family Storytelling Tradition

By Julie Douglas, Family Program Specialist, Missouri Humanities Council
March 24, 2007

Happy Belated St. Patrick’s Day!  My family tree has its fair share of Irish branches, and a good many of my relatives have a knack for storytelling.  The seanchaí (storyteller) was (and still is!) a respected and valued member of the Irish community. The seanchaí entertained and educated listeners with stories, poems, and songs.

Storytelling was an important source of entertainment in my family. It strengthened the bonds between me and my cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents.  My dad amused us with hilarious tales about growing up in the small river town of Keokuk, IA.  One of my favorite childhood memories is sitting out on our front porch on a summer night listening to far-fetched yarns that usually began with “You might not believe this, but this is a true story…” 

I’m happy to report that the seanchaí “gene” lives on in the younger generations of my family as well.  At a recent reunion I was struck by the ability of my relatives to take a patch of bad luck and tell it as a funny story.  Though we all live miles apart now, the stories that we tell still connect us.  For example, a recent email started by a cousin in Chicago challenged us all to tell stories about the best pork tenderloin sandwiches that we have discovered as we traveled around the country.  Almost instantly, stories about hole-in-the-wall diners and side trips taken off the beaten track filled my inbox.  Who knew my cousins were so widely traveled, so daring in their dining, and such connoisseurs of tenderloins?

In READ from the START workshops, we encourage parents to start the storytelling tradition in their families.  Simply recalling an experience from childhood is a great way for a parent to share a story with a child.  Looking through family photos and recalling stories about the people or places is another way to help a child connect past and present.  Encouraging children to “interview” older family members is educational and encourages two generations of people to interact.  And listening carefully to the stories that our children tell us is a powerful way to let them know they are valued and loved.

Catch the storytelling bug in your own family by playing one of the games below.  

Spin a Yarn
Sit in a circle. Hold a ball of yarn or string and begin to tell a story. After a few sentences, hold the end of the yarn and pass the ball to the next person. That person continues the story where the first left off. Keep unwinding the ball of yarn and passing it so that each person who added to the story is holding on to the yarn. The length of yarn held by each of the storytellers is a good visual reminder that parts of a story are connected.

In the Bag
Collect 5 or 6 random objects and put them in a paper bag.  The first storyteller pulls out an object from the bag and begins a story including that object in some way.  The bag is then passed to the next person who does the same. Continue until everyone has pulled an object out of the bag and/or the story reaches a conclusion.

Left, Right, Swap
This takes a little more prep, but it’s fun and requires good listening skills. Each person holds a small wrapped gift or a “goodie bag.”  Tell the group that you are going to read or tell a story.  When they hear the word LEFT in the story, they must all pass the gift that they are holding to the person on their left.  When they hear the word RIGHT, they pass the gift to the right.  Then designate another word (something that will come up several times in the story) to signal that everyone must SWAP their gift with someone else in the circle. For example:  “Once there was a little girl named Little Red Riding Hood. She lived RIGHT next to a deep, dark forest.  In the forest there lived a big, bad WOLF (the word to signal Swap!).  One day Red’s mother LEFT a note on the table that said, ‘Your Grandmother is feeling ill. Please go RIGHT over to see her. Take the muffins that are LEFT over from breakfast. And do not talk to any strangers. Watch out for the WOLF.’”  At the end of the story, each person may open gift that he is now holding. 

Stranger Story
If you have ever been stuck standing in line, waiting for a plane, or just people watching at the park, this storytelling exercise is a fun way to pass the time.  Look around and choose someone you see to be your “character.”  Give the person a name, tell why she is in this place, why she is dressed the way she is.  Don’t go for the obvious explanation; be creative! 

Liar
It’s hard to get kids to tell about their day, but this game adds a fun twist to the “What did you do at school today?” routine.  The storyteller tells two or three things that happened during the day, but adds in one completely fabricated event.  The listener’s job is to tell which part of the story is false.  For example, “Today I walked to school with my friend Ellen.  When we got to school, we stopped in to have a doughnut in the principal’s office. (Not true!) Our teacher, Mr. Brown, gave everyone an extra day to finish the math homework from yesterday.  Right in the middle of English, Ellen got a nose bleed and had to go to the office.”