The parents challenge: First challenge.

By: Blessing Adedimeji Adeyanju.

Updated on April 24, 2020.

The best you can give to children during this period is your attention. Your attention will mean a lot to them and will reduce the feeling of loneliness in them. We are here to support children’s mental health.

The goals of this first challenge are:

• To reduce the feelings of loneliness in children.
• To enhance children’s knowledge.
• To make children happy.

The parents challenge : first challenge

• Tell your children at least three stories today.

• Dramatize as you tell them the story.

• Sing, dance or use other skills to communicate the message in your story.

Note : This challenge is appropriate for parents whose children are in Nursery, Primary, or Secondary school. However, Parents, whose children are already adults may choose to take up the challenge, too.

After taking the challenge, you may use the comment session to tell us about your experience with your children.

Reading this piece below may help you take the challenge better.

CLICK TO GET THE SECOND CHALLENGE

THE ART OF STORYTELLING.
Storytelling is the art in which a teller conveys a message, truths, information, knowledge, or wisdom to an audience – often subliminally – in an entertaining way, using whatever skills, (musical, artistic, creative) or props he chooses, to enhance the audience’s enjoyment, retention and understanding of the message conveyed (Dudley, 1997). Storytelling may involve using different skills, but it doesn’t require following a specific rule.

Storytelling is an art that has been in existence for many years. In Africa, specifically in Nigeria, different cultures embraced storytelling. Many parents who grew up in rural areas enjoyed stories told by their parents, uncles, aunties or grandparents. But it’s hard to see parents tell stories today.

There are many story books available for children to read, but the art of reading cannot be compared to the art of listening. Storytelling is now an art that has been traded with other activities. For many years storytelling has been forgotten in many educational environments, as our world of visual imagery has rapidly flourished (Phillips, 2000). By granting storytelling an essential role in the education of young children, their imagination will be inspired as they create their own visual images and ideas; their minds will be challenged; and their language skills will be further cultivated, as they are inspired to experience and explore all language forms (speaking, listening, reading, and writing) (Phillips, 2000).

The importance of storytelling in children cannot be over emphasized. It has been found that “In children, storytelling provides many psychological and educational benefits, such as enhanced imagination to help visualize spoken words, improved vocabulary, and more refined communication skills” (Yabe et al., 2018).

After taking today’s parent challenge, you may give us feedback about your experiences with your children by using the comment session. Educateroyals cares about your children’s mental health.

If you are interested in reading the article that will help you deal with isolation in children, click here

References:
Phillips, L. (2000). Storytelling-the seeds of children’s creativity. Australasian journal of early childhood, 4.

Dudley, B (1997). What is storytelling. Retrieved from: http://www.australianstorytelling.org.au

Yabe, M., Oshima S., Eifuku, S. Taira, M., Kobayashi, K., Yabe, H. & Niwa, S. (2018). Effects of storytelling on the childhood brain: near-infrared spectroscopic comparison with the effects of picture-book reading. Fukushima journal of medical science, 64, 125 – 132.

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