A free resource has been launched to help parents bring stories to life and engage children in a creative and fun way during lockdown.
The resource, called The Gift, has been developed by Makers of Imaginary Worlds who have worked with the Mixed Reality Laboratory at the University of Nottingham to create a series of online workshops with artists, theatre makers, parents, and early years practitioners in Nottingham.
From their unique perspectives, a storyteller, a puppeteer, a dance artist, a theatre practitioner and a sculptor share their experiences and skills in this easy to access resource. The Gift helps parents and carers to have fun exploring different ways of storytelling with their child. Through short films with storytelling hints and tips, pdf guides for making exciting props and objects that are used in the films, and links to a number of useful online resources, The Gift is a fantastic resource for anyone with children.
The project has been led by Roma Patel an Alumni of Horizon CDT at the University of Nottingham and Rachel Ramchurn, who wanted to support parents and carers during lockdown.
Rachel said: “Storytelling is such an important part of childhood and education that is being made more difficult due to the pressures of lockdown and homeschooling. Reading and telling stories are a gift that parents and carers can give to a child. Storytelling is about listening to stories and sharing experiences and quality time together. Children gain confidence; improve their vocabulary and literacy skills. Parents’ voices are familiar and can be comforting to children.”
Find out more about The Gift here or access the resource here: www.makersofimaginaryworlds.co.uk/thegift
