March 20th is Worldwide Storytelling Day, a perfect time to share your memories and family stories with your children/grandchildren/great-grandchildren. Telling stories can be an opportunity to strengthen your connections and relationships and give your grandkids something to remember for their entire lives. Don’t know where to start? We’ve compiled some tips for telling your story.
Collect your memories.
You likely have much history behind you at this point. Try to brainstorm with a pen and paper or even a voice recorder. Think of your childhood, family, and events that shaped you into the person you are.
Have a lesson in mind.
You don’t want to be lecturing your grandkid, but often “life truths” may come up in your stories. You could share a mistake and what you learned from it. If they are in a similar situation one day, they could avoid the same misstep you made.
Use a story to affirm your grandchild.
Tying a story to your grandchild’s character shows you appreciate their personality, achievements, or virtues. For example, you could say, “When I was a child, I didn’t get along with my sibling, so seeing you two help each other makes me so happy.”
Be engaging.
Add emotion, drama, or humor when appropriate as you tell your story. Gauge your grandkid’s reactions and get them involved by asking, “What do you think happened next?” or simply, “What do you think about that?”
When in doubt, just start with “I remember when…” and you’ll have your grandchildren’s attention.