Storytelling Workshop with staff: 20 April 2021

One of the aims of the Department of Library Services’ (DLS) Community Outreach focus area is to focus on storytelling at early childhood development (ECD) centres. Nal'ibali, which aims to promote the importance of reading and stories to children, conducted a highly informative workshop on "The Art of Storytelling'' for a group of enthusiastic library staff on 20 Apri 2021, in the library auditorium. Staff members listened with interest to presenter, Righardt le Roux, from Nal’ibali, sharing tips on how to develop a story group.

Staff members will use the knowledge gained to focus and enable adults in ECD centres to engage in literacy and reading-for-enjoyment activities with small children. Reading stories is a tool which promotes brain development, imagination, language skills and emotional development in children.   

Righardt explained how to use the different steps in storytelling to engage successfully with youngsters on their level for personal meaning and satisfaction. He did a practical session with us on how to look at a picture book’s pictures, how to incorporate songs and rhymes into a story session, how to listen to the stories young children tell themselves, and how to write down children’s own stories to teach them that they can also write and illustrate. He also emphasised the importance of promoting multilingualism and the use of African languages in storytelling. This approach helps children to learn about the world, their own culture and the cultures of others. An integrated approach combining storytelling, writing, reading, singing and even acting, around a single story or theme, ensures maximum impact – but the magic ingredient seems to be the attention of the adult. Righardt shared with the audience that the greatest impact is measured when adults read interactively with children, engaging with the stories together with them. 

Following this workshop, I’d say library staff members are motivated to apply their newly acquired knowledge and skills in engagement with children!