Parenting Tips for Felt Board Story Telling

Children of all ages enjoy to tell stories and let their imaginations flow. They love it even more when their parents create the adventures, especially when the audience members are the stars of the story. Little girls fantasize about being a fairy or princess and boys imagine being a swashbuckling pirate, cowboy or super hero.

Even Hollywood recognized the importance of imaginary story telling. That is why Bedtime Stories, starring Adam Sandler and Keri Russell, is such a hit with families. However, you don't have to produce a motion picture to tell your story.

A great creative way to tell a story is to incorporate a felt or flannel story board. There are many online education resources where you can purchase a ready-made story board with accessories or you can create your own as a fun family craft project with a purpose.

Once you have your felt board, here are some tips for you as a parent. Try to remember and implement these suggestions when you are story telling with your felt board:

1. Before you begin your felt adventure, arrange the necessary pieces face up in the correct order for the story.
2. Decide in advance when and where to place each felt piece. Your painting of the adventure with felt pieces will flow more naturally.
3. Create a friendly atmosphere by having your audience sit close to you.
4. Sit or stand to one side of the board, with the felt items on your lap.
5. As you tell the adventure, look into the faces of your audience to make the felt board characters come alive.
6. Once the figures in place, move them as little as possible. Spend most of your time telling the adventure and occasionally add, move, remove or point to a felt item.
7. Give your audience an opportunity to make their own adventure by telling another story or mixing up the ending.
8. Relax. Smile. Enjoy telling stories. Display genuine pleasure and enthusiasm. All the while conveying a positive message to your audience.

In our home we use Tibbar's Everyday Felt Adventures as our story board of choice. This all-in-one felt story board features 88 full-color felt pieces and three story scenes in a grab-n-go case. We take Tibbar and friends around the world, creating fantastic adventures along the way!

If Tibbar's Everyday Felt Adventures is an item of interst to you, please order it through this Independence Day Celebration link. Manga Manga is FREE with a $50 purchase made before June 30 through this link. You're sure to have Tibbar's Everyday Felt Adventures and all the other items you purchase in hand before your 4th of July picnic, BBQ, or fun family gathering.