Monday, October 4, 2010

Storytelling ~ Sources of inspiration

My sources of inspiration:
Other people telling stories especially at Waldorf schools: kindergarten, parent child group, play groups, nursery programs, Joan Almon, Connia Manson, Suznne Down, workshops, trainings, performances

Storytelling with Children by Nancy Mellon (do it as a group if possible)
Suzanne Down's Autumn Tales are inspiring simple nature stories
Susan Perrow's Healing Stories for Challenging Behavior

Stories from childhood What stories do you remember hearing as a child? What stories did you tell or act out? What were your favorites?

Nature What is happening in nature now? What is the inner mood or feeling of the season we are in? In autumn, I feel the wind and the leaves, whirling, twirling, falling, pulling in, storing up, reckoning with the need to fan the flame within, light withdrawing, dark increasing, what are the elemental beings doing now?

What is the story line best suited for a child's perspective?
(blog post in the works on what stories for what age and why)

What does my child need? therapeutic stories? What is the picture I wish to make? What will feed him or her developmentally to see the picture I wish the story to carry?

At bedtime Ask for help from the spiritual world. We adults have a guardian angel who will respond to us when we ask for help and guidance. Bring the questions into sleep and pay attention upon wakening and during the day to the answers that just seem to arrive. Also ask our guardian angel to communicate with the child's angel and support us in our desire to meet and nourish the child.

Take a quiet moment and do a meditation. Close your eyes. Picture the child in a situation that you find really challenging and hold that picture while you breathe into your heart, breath love into the picture in your mind and ask for a story to address the challenge.

Most of all play with it, make it fun, not too serious!



  1. Excellent advice here! I love telling stories to my children, even now, as they're not too little anymore.

  2. Wonderful post! I agree with Dawn, that telling stories and picturing your child even when they are older is important. :)

  3. Yes, that is my experience too, Dawn and Jennifer, teenagers need us as much as little ones, it's just in a different way, and even though they seem so capable and independent, they still need the connection making time and tenderness, I never knew that parenting would be such a journey. Why is such a secret that only unveils itself when we are inside of it?

  4. Love this post! We share stories every night...even though our children are getting older...they are NEVER too old! :)

  5. what a beautiful post, sharing stories and songs we create on our own is a favorite in our home too!

  6. I love storytelling sessions with my preschoolers too. The rainbow fish would be their ALL TIME favorite. It has a very meaningful and educational storyline too.

  7. beautiful!
    thank you for sharing, this is very inspiring



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