So the story goes…
FAMILIES CAN SPEND QUALITY TIME TOGETHER TELLING TALES
Whether their children are participating in virtual classroom learning, Zooming with friends, playing video games, or going on online shopping sprees, many parents are concerned with the amount of time their kids spend on their devices. Fortunately, there are many creative ways to help your family temporarily step away from the world of tech, even if it’s only for a short time, and “Round Robin storytelling” is one of them.
You may recall telling stories around a campfire when you were a child; now is the perfect time to move that storytelling campfire indoors. You can start by gathering your household members comfortably in the same room. Create ambience by dimming the lights and turning off all extraneous sounds, and explain to the participants, "We are going to make up a story together. Everyone will get a turn to add as much or as little as they want before passing it onto the next person. You may include fairy tale characters such as witches and goblins, or magical spells, like the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Anderson did with their fairy tales, or you can base your ideas on reality. All are fine and will work. When it's your turn, you may change the focus.”
“Round Robin storytelling is something my family did together when our children were young," says Brenda McKinley, library director for the Ridgefield Library. "We started with an object or a few on a tray. One person began their story using one of the objects, and then each person added to the story. The only rule we had was that everyone had to be open to where the story was going, even if it wasn't what they were expecting. It was a great way to spend quiet time together. As a parent, I learned a lot about each child's imagination and, very often, their sense of humor!"
Before starting, set the guidelines and parameters, such as no one will die or get eaten alive, and there will be no blood and gore (or maybe these ideas are okay with you). The sacrosanct rule, however, is no one may interrupt the speaker.
Encourage all the participants to maintain the action and tension, and end their thoughts with what is known as a "cliffhanger," which will make everyone wonder what will happen next. Details are essential, so if one person describes Skyler with a face full of freckles, and another tells how she pushes her dark hair away from her face, someone may choose to clarify this when it's their turn.
The opening sentence sets the theme, but anyone can change the storyline when it’s their turn. Starting with “Once upon a time” is fine, as is taking the opening line from a story, but here are a few other ideas:
"Betsy put her hands over her ears when she heard sirens coming down her street…"
"Dan was so excited yesterday when the rocket ship he was in blasted off for the
WHEN IT’S YOUR TURN, ADD A LITTLE DRAMA. ROLL YOUR EYES, PAUSE, SIGH, SLAP YOUR HAND ON THE TABLE, OR MOVE YOUR VOICE UP OR DOWN, WHICH WILL HELP KEEP EVERYONE CENTERED ON THE STORY. SOON THEY’LL BE ADDING THEIR OWN EFFECTS.
space station, but now he's scared and wants to go home."
"John wanted a glass of water, so he…" Depending on the time of year, you can use something like, "Dear Dr. Martin Luther King, You won't believe…"
When it's your turn, add a little drama. Roll your eyes, pause, sigh, slap your hand on the table, or move your voice up or down, which will help keep everyone centered on the story. Soon they'll be adding their own effects.
Some families like to continue Round Robin stories over a few days, and if so, you may want to record the previous storytelling session as a memory refresher. It can also be a place to settle the argument, such as Skyler's hair color.
Another idea is to Zoom in with your kids' grandparents. Most of them will be delighted to be included. If you are using an app like Facetime, turn off the screen but keep the sound.
As the parent, you have a floating turn and can interject whenever you need to guide the story along, keep it moving, or bring it to a satisfying ending.
Dr. Rebecca Isbell, an early-childhood education consultant and professor emerita at East Tennessee State University, calls these Round Robin stories mental movies. When children are listening to these stories, there is no book to focus on, so they are turning that movie on in their heads, Isbell says: “As an educator of young children, I find that my class loves it when we play Round Robin. When it's story time, I split the class in half, with one group being the storytellers and the other the listeners. Any discrepancies in the details or plot are quickly pointed out. Learning not to interrupt is a challenge for some.”
Give family Round Robin stories a try, even if you have to substitute having your fireplace for a campfire. Marshmallows are optional.