Tell THE Story: Part 1

What is the most effective education method of all time? Thousands of years before screens and curriculums, storytelling was the learning methodology of choice. As mankind’s oldest and most effective form of education, storytelling put flesh on the dry bones of history’s names, events, and dates, often happening around the family fire after a hard day’s work (shall we call it “hearth-schooling”?). Though a nearly forgotten art, this powerful method still quietly waits for the mother, sister, or grandmother who will blow the dust off and wield it yet again. Enter the Tell THE Story method.

What is Tell THE Story?

A learning style employed by Christian missionaries around the world, Tell THE Story (TTS) is a method of retelling Biblical stories to illiterate cultures. But first, let’s answer the question, what is TTS?

TTS is a simple yet effective approach to teaching story and truth; imagination and accuracy; interactive, yet structured. If we were to observe a TTS session in a modern “hearth-schooling” family, this is what we might see.

The Story’s First Telling

First, Mom chooses a Biblical story—say Noah and the Flood. Mom brings no books or tools with her since she needs only her memory and the Bible. After gathering the children, Mom begins:

“This is my story. Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God…” Word-for-word, Mom recounts Noah’s careful obedience to God’s commands, the faith of his family and the great wickedness of man upon the earth. She concludes with the verse in Genesis 9, which tells us, “These are the sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth peopled.” Mom then bookends her story with the same line she started with, “And that is my story.”

Children Retell

Now it’s the children’s turn to repeat the story to each other. Trevor tells it first to Rachel, since he is older, and Rachel then tells it back to Trevor, remembering all they can.

Mom Retells with Intentional Mistakes

After each child has had a chance to retell the story, Mom says, “Now I’m going to tell it again, but this time I am going to get some of it wrong—and YOU have to catch me when I do by giving the correct information.” Mom proceeds, intentionally getting important elements of the story wrong, so the children can correct her.

Five Interactive Questions

Now that everyone has heard the story at least four times, we unveil the heart of the story with five learning questions:

What did you like about this story?

What did you not like about this story?

Who would you want to be or not want to be in this story, and why?

What is something in this story you would want someone you love to know about?

What truth from this story can you apply to your own heart and life?

This, my friends, is the “what” of the TTS method. Coming up in our next article, we will learn the “how” behind the method with bonus links and examples giving you the deep dive into how TTS can work in your family.

Kenzi Knapp is a follower of Christ, homeschool graduate and student of history. A fourth generation Missourian she enjoys writing about daily life enrolled in Gods great course of faith and His story throughout the ages at her blog, Honey Rock Hills.