Podcast
How to Tell Stories to Children
Hosted by How to Tell Stories to Children · EN
From the authors of How to Tell Stories to Children comes a podcast that supports parents, teachers, and grandparents who want to engage in the intimacy and excitement of storytelling at home.
Our work has been endorsed by Dr. Jane Goodall, New York Times bestselling authors and parenting guides Steve Biddulph, Kim John Payne, Bill McKibben, Richard Rohr, Charles Eisenstein, and many more.
Warning! This is not a collection of children's stories. It's about empowerment. It is about finding your voice. We combine the science of storytelling with a step-by-step method, practice exercises, and sample stories to help you awaken to the storyteller within.
10episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
A Shared Story & Goodbye to Joseph Sarosy
Jan 6, 202200:46:30Tap to summarizeAfter three years of focused work on How to Tell Stories to Children, Joseph Sarosy is moving on. Silke and Joe tell a shared story to commemorate this shift, followed by some of the directions they'll both be taking in the next few weeks and months. Rest assured, their common interests are growing closer, not apart.In part, Joe is stepping away to make more room for Silke to take center stage. Look for more Randolph Roots stories in the near future and some refreshed energy and direction from her. However, Silke is right now in Germany with her mother and her dying father. It is a little uncertain when she will return to this podcast, but return she shall.Joe is shifting his focus back to writing about education, children, and wilderness. His blog Off Grid Kids led to the creation of How to Tell Stories to Children over three years ago, and he's returning to that subject matter with a new blog titled Rare Earth. He is also working on a second book - about trees, neural development, and education. You can find his work at www.josephsarosy.com.Thanks for all your support!
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Randolph Roots & the Christmas Wichtels
Dec 23, 202100:29:49Tap to summarizeWillie Wichtel, the Christmas gnome, is tired and ill. He worries that no one will be able to make all the Christmas magic happen.When Randolph Roots shows up to give Willie some rest and attention, Eddie Elf takes charge. He helps all the helpful little wichtels get organized, for they have much work to do.Wichtels are helpful little creatures that arrive at our hearths each year to help parents and grandparents with the extra tasks of the holiday season. Chopping kindling, washing dishes, sweeping floors - they do it all silently while the people rest.You can be a wichtel too! But shh...every kind deed they do is a well kept secret.This is Season 2 - After the story, Silke & Joe discuss the story's context and meaning. The story comes first, so that listeners with little children can access them easily.Our goal is to inspire you. We love telling stories, but we love it even more when you feel empowered to tell your own. Whether you find inspiration in the stories, or something of value in the discussion - let that be your guide to opening your own voice.
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The Storytelling Tree
Dec 9, 202100:53:41Tap to summarizeThe Storytelling Tree has a special talent: when a story is told underneath its branches, characters and images from the tale appear in the shapes and twists of its canopy. Summer brings fantastical stories, and in fall the mosaic of colorful leaves paint scenes of incredible richness, surpassed perhaps only by the sparkling frost and prismatic colors of winter's sunlight.World class storytellers visit the tree in dazzling seasonal festivals - till one day little Annabel Rattigan reminds everyone that sharing stories is not merely about spinning wild and elegant yarns, but sharing the sweet, intimate, and sometimes small connections between mother and child.Today, some say the tree never existed. But we know that’s not true for one simple reason - children still find them. Chances are there is a storytelling tree in your backyard this very moment. It may even be peaking in your window, waiting for just the right child to sit underneath its branches.
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Randolph & the Little Witch
Nov 25, 202100:44:07Tap to summarizeRandolph and Naughty Foot wake to find a rum-tumbling witch capering through the forest. She loves Halloween and Thanksgiving, and she's a bit of a mischief maker. After turning the forest pond into a giant pumpkin pie, all the animals are invited to the feast.
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This is Your Brain on Stories
Nov 11, 202101:08:29Tap to summarizeThanks to elegant research from some of the best scientists in the world, we are finally beginning to understand why stories wield unique significance for Homo sapiens - including why our brains are able to comprehend them in the first place.If you have ever watched a child act out a story, you have observed something exceptional about the impact of stories on human behavior. Not only do we understand them, we move our bodies and limbs in tandem with the stories in our minds – even if, as is often the case, we know them not to be true. No other animal, so far as we know, possesses this remarkable trait.The human relationship between story and behavior sheds new light on the question of whether a particular story is true or false. Better to ask - is it effective? If it motivates behavior, and that behavior impacts the individual and/or others, then the story is of consequence.But stories aren't just play things. They are the root of our religions, nations, and the precious possessions of our cultures. We may sacrifice much in life, but we will often live and die for the right story. To understand why, we need to take a deeper look into how stories take up residence in our brains, and what happens when they depart. This is your brain on stories.
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Randolph & the Corn Mother
Oct 28, 202101:00:15Tap to summarizeRandolph visits a corn field, where he listens to the story told by the Corn Mother to the little seeds within the cob. He is gifted a few of the seed babies, which he takes on his journey.On his way home, Randolph comes across a house where the mother and father are arguing. Their child is saddened by their arguments, and Randolph talks with her. He gives her the seed babies, which bring a magical blessing into the home.This is Season 2 - After the story, Silke & Joe discuss the story's context and meaning. The story comes first, so that listeners with little children can access them easily.Our goal is to inspire you. We love telling stories, but we love it even more when you feel empowered to tell your own. Whether you find inspiration in the stories, or something of value in the discussion - let that be your guide to opening your own voice.
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The Wizard and the Crystal Ball
Oct 14, 202100:47:24Tap to summarizeAmalgamesh was a mid-level wizard who wished to be a great wizard. For that, he needed a crystal ball. But not just any crystal ball - one crafted by his own hands.In return for a few chickens with which to feed his family, a stone mason helps Amalgamesh polish and craft his crystal ball. Finally, after months of work Amalgamesh discovers a fatal flaw - something he could not see until the crystal was nearly complete.Feeling dejected, Amalgamesh resorts to anger and frustration - till a young child helps him recognize that his place in the community is what makes him a great sorceror, not his greatness above others.This is Season 2 - After the story, Silke & Joe discuss the story's context and meaning. The story comes first, so that listeners with little children can access them easily.Our goal is to inspire you. We love telling stories, but we love it even more when you feel empowered to tell your own. Whether you find inspiration in the stories, or something of value in the discussion - let that be your guide to opening your own voice.
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Randolph & the Apple Tree
Sep 30, 202100:31:16Tap to summarizeHi everyone! We are excited to return with Season 2 of our podcast. We are doing things a little differently this season, so here’s what to expect.A story comes first, so that listeners with little children can access them easily. After the story, adults will have a chance to listen to part 2 – where Silke & Joe give a little background and perspective on the story.Our goal is to inspire you. We love telling stories, but we love it even more when you feel empowered to tell your own. You may find inspiration in the stories. You may find something of value in the discussion. Whatever strikes you, let that be your guide to opening your own voice, like a beautiful flower blossoming after a long drink in the summer sun.In this episode, Randolph Roots encounters a circle of fairies singing around an old and dying apple tree. In acknowledging the loss, there is also a celebration of new life - a tiny seedling sprouting nearby.As we move into Autumn, we invite you to explore stories like this with your children. Maybe take a tour of your garden, yard, or neighborhood, then tell a story about a tree or plant that made an impression on you. Tying stories like this into real life experiences can be incredibly meaningful for both parent and child.P.S - We will still occasionally publish episodes on timely storytelling topics and ideas.
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A Storytelling Game for Families
Jul 29, 202100:38:57Tap to summarizeTelling stories can be a fun way to connect with the whole family - whether that's around a campfire or your kitchen table. In this episode, we share a simple method that gets the ball rolling - so that everyone is involved.The format is simple - each person has a chance to tell a story, real or imaginary, and also to listen. The goal is short, easy stories - so no one feels pressured to “do it right.” By drawing inspiration from the previous story, you eventually get a “snowball effect” that turns into laughter, creativity, and lifelong memories.--Photo by Josue Michel on UnSplash
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Stories to Soothe and Heal Trauma
Jul 15, 202100:41:24Tap to summarizeChildren who have suffered an injury, be it physical or psychological, benefit greatly from the healing format of a story - especially from a parent or loved one.This can be as simple as helping our little ones process a tumble by telling (and allowing them to retell) how it happened. But it can also be as complicated as a therapeutic story that helps a child process a traumatic event with big emotions.The goal of this episode is to help you define trauma, differentiate between small and large traumatic events, and give you some guidance on the kinds of stories that may work in different contexts. Further resources are provided at the end.Disclaimer - If you or your child is experiencing significant psychological or emotional stress, please seek the help of a doctor, therapist, or another qualified professional.In this episode, we define 3 types of healing stories:Reconstruction and Repetition of Real EventsSoothing/Calming StoriesTherapeutic StoriesFurther Resources on Therapeutic StorytellingTherapeutic Storytelling by Susan PerrowUsing Therapeutic Storytelling With Children by John Sommers-Flanagan, PHDGuidelines for Therapeutic Story Writing by Susan LaingStories to Light the Night by Susan Perrow--Photo by Jordan Whitt on UnSplash
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