Back to Story Presentation Ideas

The first time you do this option it might feel a bit uncomfortable because most teachers are used to being in control and the knowledge giver. Allowing the children to share in this activity will not only allow all the children to be actively involved in the story (as apposed to pasively listening - or not listening!), but empower them to realise and fill in their gaps of knowledge.

How to do a Shared Story:

• First, read through the Bible story several times and make sure you know it very well. You might like to look through a few children's Bibles or story books to see what the children might know of the story.
• Choose a starting point and where you want to finish (some stories can be told in segments or a longer story, for example, if doing Noah's Ark, do you want to stop the story with Noah and the animals on the ark and focus on Noah's obedience, or do you want to tell the whole story and maybe look at God's promise with the rainbow.)
• Tell the kids that today you are talking about the story of _____. Tell the kids you want their help to tell the story.  
•  Give each child 15 - 30 seconds to add to the story. If the children are taking a long time, get a bell for you to ring or you might be able to find a time from a toy that lights or makes sounds when the time is up.
  Make sure you praise each child, even if it isn't quite correct - "That was a very good try", "I think that comes later in the story. Can you remember it for then?"
• If children aren't sharing the turns, get a soft ball (I knitted 6 squares of the same size, sewed them together, filled with teddy stuffing) and have the children throw it to another child. The child who gets the ball then talks about the story. The children cannot throw it to someone who has already had the bal. Make it a game to remember who it has been thrown to.
• You might need to jump in and grab the ball at times and have a go to fill in necessary parts of the story all your children have forgotten.

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