Kraemer Intergeneration Collection: Storytelling

Storytelling Across Generations

Storytelling is in itself an intergenerational activity as people of all ages enjoy both hearing and sharing stories together. This makes the possibilities of connecting generations through stories nearly endless. Whether discussing fairy tales, folk tales, or family histories, all of these stories share information about generations of people and are easily transferred to people of all ages. There are many different ways to share stories, see some of the activity ideas listed below for some ideas.

Fairy Tales

• For young children, help them learn the parts of a story by making fairy tale cards that split the story up and have children put the story in order. You can talk about how stories have an order and how there are some similarities between all stories.
• Read a fairy tale and rewrite the ending together.
• Read different versions of fairy tales. This is especially fun if an adult grew up with a different version of a fairy tale than the one the child is familiar with.

Family Stories

• At family gatherings or reunions, conduct family interviews with family members from different generations. Gather information such as how a family member met their spouse, what their childhood was like, what activities they did as a child for fun, or what school was like. These details help to create a story of the lives of different family members lives.
• Work to create a family tree as far back as possible. Fill in information about each individual and learn about your family story.
• At family gatherings, have family members share their stories and favorite memories with the group. Record these stories and create a family stories scrapbook with pictures and other memorabilia.

These are just a few simple ways to integrate storytelling through many generations. Stories are everywhere and naturally bring people together. Your local public library is also a great place to learn about events and opportunities in your area for sharing stories as well as a great place to look for more information.