Picture © Copyright 2002 Barbara Dubrovin. Reprinted with permission from Storytelling Discoveries: Favorite Activities for Young Tellers.   

Adding Music or Sound Effects

            If you play a musical instrument, you can use it to help tell your story. Some professional storytellers use guitars and sing their stories (ballads). One girl used a flute in a story about a fairy flute player. A boy shook bells when his leprechaun appeared, because the magic creature wore bells on his shoes.
            One storytelling club played Sound Charades to help their members sprinkle more sounds into their storytelling.

Working with Puppets
           Which comes first, the puppet or the story? With puppets, it can be either one. You may create a story for a puppet you have made or make a puppet to help tell a story. There are so many kinds of puppets.

            Finger Puppets can be made by drawing faces on a garden glove. Or, you can make individual puppets for each finger out of paper, felt or yarn. They work very well in a car or at a party where you have a small audience.
       This glove puppet works well if you are telling a story of a group of kids or a club activity.

Picture © Copyright 1997 Vivian Dubrovin. Reprinted from Storytelling Adventures: Stories Kids Can Tell

Picture © Copyright 2002 Barbara Dubrovin. Reprinted,  with permission, from Junior Storyteller, Summer 2005 "Convertible Puppets for Storytelling Mini-Clubs." 

Hand Puppets
The hand puppet is one of the most popular kinds of puppets. And, it's easy to make a simple hand puppet that you can use to tell many different kinds of stories. This "convertible hand puppet" appeared in the summer 2005 issue of the Junior Storyteller with a removable head and several costume changes so that it could become several different characters. This drawing shows how to hold your hand inside the puppet.

Stick puppets can be made as small as a computer graphic stuck on the end of an ice cream bar stick or as large as a garbage bag over a broom rake. This picture shows a garbage bag over a broom rake decorated with construction paper face and hair.

Picture © Copyright 2002 Vivian Dubrovin. Reprinted,  with permission, from Storytelling Discoveries: Favorite Activities for Young Tellers.   

Picture ©Copyright 2002 Vivian Dubrovin. Reprinted,  with permission, from Junior Storyteller, Spring 2005 "Audience Participation with a Sock-Doll Marionette." 

Marionettes

A few strings attached  to a sock doll or a fabric square can become a marionette for your storytelling projects.

Ghost Picture ©Copyright 2002 Vivian Dubrovin. Reprinted,  with permission, from Storytelling Discoveries: Favorite Activities for Young Tellers, " Storytelling with a Ghostly Marionette."

Drawing/Cutting/Folding
           On a chalkboard or large poster board, you can draw as you tell your story. Or, you can use sidewalk chalk and draw on a driveway while you tell a tale.  Some storytellers cut out paper plates, strings of paper dolls, snowflakes, or paper trees while they tell a story.

Picture © Copyright 1999 Vivian Dubrovin. Reprinted with permission from Storytelling for the FUN Of It: A Handbook for Children

Picture © Copyright 2004 Vivian Dubrovin. Reprinted,  with permission, from Junior Storyteller , Summer 2004, Traveling with a Storytelling Pillow.

Flannel and Magnetic Boards
           You can put felt or magnetic strips on the back of paper or cardboard characters or scenery to use on a flannel board or metal tray as you tell a story. There are commercial kits available or you can make your own.

Picture © Copyright 1999 Vivian Dubrovin. Reprinted with permission from Storytelling for the FUN Of It: A Handbook for Children

Quilts
Some boys and girls have created quilt blocks or lap quilts to help them tell stories about their activities.

Picture © Copyright 1999 Vivian Dubrovin. Reprinted with permission from Storytelling for the FUN Of It: A Handbook for Children

From a project on The Kids Storytelling Club website, Summer 2006

 Props

            Just a soccer ball, a balloon, or a picnic basket can help you tell a story. A prop can make you feel more at ease. If your story is about an object or toy, display that object and explain it or demonstrate how to make it.