Department of Literature

Children’s literature includes stories, poems, plays, legends and stories. Children’s literature is an artistic effort in the form of words, to guide the child towards growth, with appropriate language and manner that is suitable for his understanding. In other words, literature is how to interpret and express feelings, emotions and thoughts through words in various forms.

Literature nurtures the child at all times of life and makes him happy, expands imagination and enhances innovation. Stories and poems that children read and hear leave a deep impression on their thoughts and spirits and prepare them to face the issues of growth and socializing with others and also help them understand the problems of their lives.

Children’s literature plays a decisive role, especially in the fields of language learning and teaching children new words.

The goals of the children’s literature program in primary education are:

۱- Helping to develop the power of expression, emotions and thoughts of children.

۲- Strengthening and cultivating the power of imagination in children.

۳- Stimulation of creativity and innovation in children.

۴- Creating love and interest in literature in children.

In the definition of children’s literature, it can be said: it is a collection of writings, poems and speeches that are provided by adults in the society for the use of minors, or minors themselves are the creators of it.

۵- Developing the child’s self-confidence and making him interested in freedom and social justice.

۶- Fulfilling the child’s emotional needs and preparing him to receive moral and humane messages and being a good citizen.

Choosing the right stories

The problem of choosing a story is a fundamental problem, considering the amount of material available to the storyteller, especially for novice and beginner storytellers. Even the best and most prominent professional storytellers cannot tell every story. The storyteller creates his heroes from stories that fit his particular personality and style.

The novice storyteller should first try to evaluate personality traits and dialect style. Then ask yourself: What kind of stories can I tell effectively and well? How can I align my personality with the story so that we can both connect with the listener?

After the storyteller has finished choosing, he enters the stage of preparing the story to tell, which is one of the most important steps taken in order to use the storytelling technique. The storyteller must remember that his job is not to take away or to read, but his job is to tell a story that remains as a unique experience.

Telling the story is often the first obstacle that blocks the natural and spontaneous path of a successful story telling. The rule of thumb is that you should never memorize a story to “tell” it, but it is enough to memorize its plot, considering the structure of the story.

Choosing and preparing the story are the first steps in advancing the art of storytelling, and the art of storytelling is based on them. Beginning and novice storytellers soon realize that the time they spent getting to this stage of development was a worthwhile investment.

Preparing the mind and expression is the most important variable in the successful presentation of a story. Without this careful selection and preparation, the storyteller should not expect to have a successful experience.