It’s no secret that reading is very
important for overall brain development as it increases one’s knowledge and
also fuels creativity. Inculcating the reading habit in children at a tender
age, preferably between three to six years, is crucial. Sadly, most children
nowadays are getting hooked on to gizmos and gadgets, thus sidelining the habit
of reading. Owing to this, worried parents are trying their level best to
develop the love for reading by sending their kids to various coaching classes.
Keeping in mind the impulsive behaviour of
our computer age kids, Little Readers Nook has designed some unique
storytelling reading sessions. Here, kids are presented with articulated
stories with the help of props, to re-enact the characters in the stories. “We
try to keep things less serious. Over here, kids are more relaxed. They enjoy
the fun activities and in the process, also learn something. In fact, the kids
themselves get eager to attend my next class,” says Deepali Rahul Mathuria, an
international trained storyteller who has been trained at the main centre of
Little Readers Nook based in Mumbai.
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Deepali has introduced the method of
storytelling to the kids of Tiny Feet and Bachpan at Dona Paula and Dempo Kids
in Miramar and she has now decided to hold these sessions for everyone who
would like to see their kids turn into avid readers. “Reading sparks the
imagination and builds vocabulary and language skills. The three to six years
age group is considered crucial for the development of the mind, and so it’s
the best time to nurture a lifelong reading habit in them. And what better way
than sharing stories!” Deepali further explains, “In our designed programme, we
have fabulous books, we tell stories with props, vocabulary and
plot-discussions, role-plays, games and crafts and a thematic approach.”
Deepali is the first trained storyteller
from Little Readers Nook to have started implementing this style of teaching in
Goa. She moved to Goa post her marriage and the reason she commenced an early
literacy programme was that her own children were facing a dearth of quality
storytelling classes. “My kids love listening to stories. Sometimes I had to
cook up stories to tell them, following the methodology I picked up with Little
Readers Nook. That’s when I realized that Goa also should have such sessions.
That was the whole of point of starting storytelling session for children,”
Deepali says.
Once in a week, she conducts these
storytelling sessions with a specific theme at each session. Elaborating on the
goings-on of a session, she says, “If a theme chosen is the zoo, then we would
tell stories like ‘A Barber at the Zoo’. Through this story, we will describe a
barber – his attire, work, etc. Another activity undertaken after telling the
story is that the children are asked to re-enact the character and share their
stories with that particular theme. This allows them to broaden their minds and
imaginations.”
The best part about these storytelling
sessions is that Deepali restricts batch to up to 10 students. This enables her
to give individual attention to each child.
