Storytelling activity + Tūpuna Parenting
- hanatuwhareslt
- Mar 31
- 3 min read
My dad used to tell us bedtime stories. These stories were simple but they created some of my most favourite and cosy memories as a child. He would make us the main characters in the story and would simply describe to us what we did that day. For example:
Once upon a time there were two young tamariki called Hana and Arapeta. On a sunny day on Waiheke they went off for a swim at the beach, just across the road from Piritahi marae. They splashed in the waves, jumped off the old shipwreck, and they saw a huuuuge jellyfish, the biggest one they've ever seen...
We were enthralled by these stories. We felt like we were being told an adventure. It was about us and it made us feel so cool! We were told about the places we had been, the names of the places we had visited, the things we saw, the people we bumped in to, and some of the experiences we had that day. These weren't fantastical stories that required raw creative talent or deep knowledge of mātauranga Māori. They simply described what we did, and that felt alive for us.
If you want to have a go at home, here's a few ideas:
Start off by making it sound like a story: "once upon a time" or "I ngā rā o nehe rā..."
Name the main characters. These are your tamariki or anyone else who was around that day. "Once upon a time, there were two strong boys called Tama and Ariki. They had cousins called Anahera and Jimmy".
Re-tell some of the things that happened that day. "Tama and Ariki went to the shops with their cousins and...".
If they want to add their own ideas, thoughts and feelings, even better!
You could also share waiata, tūpuna kōrero and whakapapa that connected to the places you've been that day or the things you had seen. For example, talking about Tangaroa and Hinemoana if you had been at the beach that day.
Why is this helpful for language development?
As an adult I've come to realise how powerful these stories were as language learning moments. Here are a few reasons why:
You know when you read or watch something that reflects who you are and it feels good? That's what you're doing. You've captured their attention and they're engaged with the language you are sharing and its more likely to sink in and be remembered.
You are talking about things that your tamariki are already familiar with because they did it that day. This makes it interesting and relevant to them.
You are gifting them the kupu and language that relate to their world and experiences. You are expanding and deepening their knowledge about their everyday world.
They might bust in to the story and start telling you their own whakaaro and feelings - giving them an opportunity to share language too.
Its regulating. Our tamariki learn language from people they are connected to and feel safe with, this is especially true for our young ones. This kind of story telling can be really comfy, safe, fun and connective.
Tūpuna Parenting
I want to mihi to Tūpuna Parenting in collaboration with Roimata Taniwha-Paoo. The kaupapa helped me realise my favourite storytelling memories were actually a tūpuna practice in my whānau. For at least 4 generations in my whānau our dads have shared bedtime stories with the tamariki about what we did that day. My dad did this with us, his dad did this with him, and his dad before that.
I kōrero more about this in the video below. Great to pull this from the archives of when I worked with Talking Matters!
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