A Far Away Place

"If you've heard this story before, don't stop me because I'd like to hear it again." ~Groucho Marx.

So when was the last time you went to a far away place in your mind? When was the last time you heard, read or told a good story? I think that no matter how old we get, we still love to tell and hear stories, whether of actual places & events or not. Stories open our hearts, minds & souls. Stories tell a history, teach, inspire, & bring people & communities together.

I have always loved reading & writing stories. I would spend hours in my room reading the classics such as "Little Women", "Treasure Island" and  "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn"; I loved the far away places Greek and Roman Mythology & Aesop's Fables; and would often create my own characters & illustrate and write different endings to the stories I read.

Sometimes a story is so good, we have to hear it again and again such as the stories of my son's childhoods that I tell my daughter (who is 15 years younger than they are). She loves to hear, over and over again stories of her brothers, her uncle, her dad and me when we were all little, especially when its stories about the times the boys (her brothers) got into trouble.

I became a storyteller myself when my sons were little, reading books & telling them stories because it was an inexpensive form of entertainment for us. As a young single mother I didn't have the resources to go on many vacations or to amusement parks, but we always had a park nearby and library cards. Many hours I would spend, outdoors or before bedtime reading & telling stories and doing character voices for my young sons. Dr. Seuss was a huge favorite as was "Little Critter", "Mr.Men" and anything about dinosaurs, cars or science.

When my oldest son, Mike was about 4, he could actually read some of those "Cat in The Hat"  books to his younger brother.  He would bring a pile of books and climb up on the couch and sigh  "Mike, I wish I could read!" It was so touching to watch them tell the story together-one reading it & one telling it from memory and both laughing & acting out the scenarios & voices as I had always done with them.

What I didn't realize 22 years ago was that this simple, inexpensive activity would be the foundation for all they would learn from that point on, social, cultural, academic and otherwise.

Its been widely known that reading to young children greatly contributes to literacy, academic success and emotional well being. The ancient art of storytelling can be utilized easily to engage the imagination, enhance learning and as a framework for many other skills and lessons, in many environments in & out of the classroom. For 10 years, I have used storytelling as the basis for yoga programs and as a way to engage the student fully in the movement & art activities.

Storytelling is a versatile tool, easily adaptable to all ages and all abilities. No special equipment is needed to create a story or an imagery-just an audience, a speaker & the imagination. As a learning tool, storytelling encourages students to explore appropriate ways to express themselves and improves communication of thoughts & feelings. The storytelling process can even be adapted to use pictures or sign language for children with limited language skills.

Through this unique medium, many skills are learned easily & in support of character development. Telling a personal story, and listening to others tell theirs helps define a child's individual and unique self-worth, and allows them to acknowledge & respect the worth of others without competition, over-compensation or prejudice.

Reading & storytelling allows children to "unplug" from all the electronics surrounding them & transport them to magical places & is a reminder that written & spoken words are powerful, that listening brings about  understanding, and that clear communication between all people is an essential art.

Folktales, mythology & other stories are a creative & non-threatening way to guide young people toward positive personal values by presenting hypothetical situations in which the results and consequences of both 'good' and 'bad' decisions can be observed. They can identify with the characters, their challenges & their actions through experiencing & becoming the story. These stories model creative problem solving, which is a vital life skill that can be applied in a variety of settings.

This skill is strengthened when the student is encouraged to write & tell their own wisdom stories-based on real or imaginary scenarios, and guided to 'paint pictures with their words'; incorporate visual art-in the form of illustrations, props, masks, puppets, mandalas, art journals, story sticks and more into the process. The lesson now becomes more 3 dimensional: expressive, personal & meaningful and hence, more integrated.

Storytelling also helps development of expressive & receptive vocabulary & verbal skills, cultural education & strong imagination. These skills can naturally be guided to develop into self-confidence & motivation as students learn to focus on & envision themselves competent & able to reach & obtain their goals & dreams.

In turn, a socially mature, emotionally strong, creative, confident child will be less likely to underachieve, judge others or to be taken in and overwhelmed by the massive epidemic of insecurity, competition, hatred & fear that seems to permeate & infect society. Confident and self-aware children are less likely to become a statistic: a victim of (or a participant in) bullying, depression, eating disorders, domestic violence, addictions, suicide and other forms of violent behavior.

The process also enhances communication, social skills, critical thinking & visual processing skills while developing motor control & brain integration making it a perfect activity for children with learning challenges. It also improves focus & reduces stress, making it a versatile, multi-sensory activity.

Movement & dramatic play can be paired along with storytelling to facilitate one of the most beneficial activities you can allow your child to engage in. Engaging in dramatic play during storytelling brings many elements of human nature together. It can reinforce simple lessons like problem solving, creativity & balance, allowing brain & body to work together, minimizing the stress response and allowing children to independently create something personally meaningful to them.

Reading, Story telling & the arts in many forms are usable tools that if introduced at an early age, can help children feel more safe, integrated, see more beauty and good in the world & provide an appropriate outlet to neutralize & overcome the disturbing social & environmental messages, situations & obstacles that they are exposed to daily.

We will be launching a new program called "Story Arts™"  in March during NEA's "Read Across America" week, an annual reading motivation and awareness program that calls for every child in every community to celebrate reading on March 2, the birthday of beloved children's author Dr. Seuss.

The "Story Arts" Program will be an extension of our S.M.Art Kids Yoga® Programs-and will focus on social skills, language, literacy and character education. The program is mobile and will feature children's story telling, complete with a magical Travelling Treasure Trunk™  filled with costumes, props, puppets and other improvisation tools. As with all of our programs, its been designed to be adaptive & inclusive so all children of all abilities can participate. We are very excited to be in the position to offer this program to schools, learning centers, hospitals, art centers, camps, church groups and other organizations throughout PA & NJ.

It is never too early-or late- to begin reading with your child or introduce children to the art of storytelling and/or dramatic play-or to re-introduce yourself to the process and excitement of  "painting pictures with words" & discovering strange and wonderful lands & far away places with your child!

To find stories, books and more go to:



Barefoot Books-( Step Inside a Story)

Good Night Stories


NEA-Read Across America

Scholastic Book Clubs


 "Grab Your Hat-and Read with the Cat!