“The Mole was bewitched, entranced, fascinated. By the side of the river he trotted as one trots, when very small, by the side of a man who holds one spellbound by exciting stories; and when tired at last, he sat on the bank, while the river still chattered on to him, a babbling procession of the best stories in the world, sent from the heart of the earth to be told at last to the insatiable sea.”
– Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows
I have been amazed at the power of stories to quietly and unobtrusively help children deal with the challenges of life. In our world where there is such an overwhelming amount of information and stimulation coming at us constantly, storytelling offers children an opportunity to develop focus and concentration, and experience a sense of wonder. Stories stimulate children’s imaginations and expand their vocabulary, helping to develop their literacy and their social skills.
For individual children
I offer sessions for individual children including a parent or carer to explore specific difficulties, such as perhaps bereavement, various kinds of transitions and self confidence problems. We do this through story; choosing an appropriate story and working with it in many different ways such as drawing, writing and exploring the different characters in the story and letting the story live and work it’s magic in the child’s imagination. I tailor make the sessions to be appropriate for the individual child’s needs. This is a gentle, fun way of working deeply to change unhelpful patterns. Please contact me to discuss this if you feel your child would benefit from this kind of help. I’m happy to discuss a fee you can afford.
For schools
Storytelling is enormously beneificial for children learning to write and become literate. The Talk for writing approach of Pie Corbett shows how storytelling can dramatically enhance the capacity of children to learn how to write.
As well as telling stories, I also work with children on their own storytelling and writing.
Story telling workshops and performances can be designed to
- to enhance curriculum activities and themes.
- focuss on an historical period or culture.
- Provide therapeutic storytelling for groups of children where there are particular interpersonal problems.
- Provide Stories for particular events, such as Book Week.
For libraries.
- Story programmes for different age groups to enhance reading and literacy.
- Story programmes on different themes, for example Halloween, or Christmas
- Themes such as environmental awareness.
- Stories to commemorate or mark particular events
‘Sarah Deco sparked interest and creativity in the children, firing their imaginations This made it a great experience for all, including the parents. I have never seen the children more eager to listen to a story!
Laila El-Boukilli, Nottinghill Gate Library
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Upcoming events