How to Tell a Fairy Tale to a Child
Children love to hear stories, especially when mom, dad or someone else they love tells them. Whether you choose a traditional fairy tale, an old folk story or something more modern, make it memorable and fun in just a few simple steps.
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Instructions
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Select a fairy tale that features one of the child's favorite kinds of characters. If your little girl is partial to princesses or witches or your little boy loves pirate or dragon stories, indulge them. They will automatically be more interested in a story that features their favorite characters than in one that does not.
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Find a book with eye-catching illustrations that will appeal to your child. Younger children might prefer bold black and white images while an older child would rather look at bright or muted swirls of color.
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Read the story before you tell it to your child. Every fairy tale teaches a lesson, so make sure it is one that you want your children to learn.
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Use the child's name if you can. Who says that the story can't be about "Princess Emma" or "Captain Ethan?" Perhaps the fairy godmother has the same name as one of your child's favorite people.
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Give each major character a different voice. Let your voice drop low for a monster or king and higher for a princess or young child. Try a really bad French accent for a Parisian character or a breathy tone for a tiny little critter like a mouse.
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Add some extra "sound effects." For example, instead of just saying that the wind was blowing, use "The wind blew through the trees...whooosh, whooosh, whoooosh..."
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Kiss the child goodnight at the end of the story and wish him or her sweet dreams. Do this even if they look like they are sleeping.
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Tips & Warnings
Reading the story before you read it to your child also gives you a chance to "edit" the story. If you think that hearing about a main character getting hurt might give your child nightmares, you can come up with an alternative situation.
Incorporate your travels into your storytelling. Change the locations to a place you have visited or tell a story from a place you have always wanted to go.
