From Wikipedia: “Storytelling is the social and cultural activity of sharing stories, sometimes with improvisation, theatrics or embellishment. Every culture has its own stories or narratives, which are shared as a means of entertainment, education, cultural preservation or instilling moral values”
Throughout history and before there was any means of preserving a written word, storytelling brought a person in the present back to the past. Events relived via the spoken word maintained the history of a family, a tribe, a society. Tales of humor, sorrow, tragedy, joy, and accomplishment passed from generation to generation, allowing lessons to be learned, wisdom to be gained.
Today’s storytelling using the written word still accomplishes what the verbal storytelling did. The beauty of sharing one’s experience with many cannot be over-appreciated. It is truly a marvel that little black marks on white paper can instill all manner of emotion, education, and wonder.
Of special consideration is the sharing of stories with children. Young children especially enjoy stories from parents and relatives about how life was in the “old days”. While adults see the stories as an ongoing part of their lives, children see them as a peep-hole into the past – exciting, strange, maybe even a bit scary because the child can never experience what happened in a time BEFORE they themselves existed.
So it is ultimately important to convey the simplest of tales – those which are easily understood for even though they are events of the past, a child can relate via their own experience. The stories can figuratively be lived again through the wonder of a child’s imagination.
So may I suggest you share your stories with your children. You’ll be amazed at how much they will enjoy the simplest tales of your life as a child.