Telling Stories- An Effective Way to Motivate My Preschoolers

You want your child to get up early, brush teeth properly, eat well, dress up neat and fast, go to school happily, study and work hard, play and have fun, wash and clean up, be healthy and hygienic, sleep well, treat others kindly, behave nicely, be honest and a lot of other things. The tug of war and power-play and a lot of fights happen at home because of this- yes, the child invariably resists the parents' attempts to make him the ideal human. Once you sit down peacefully and think about it, you feel that he has a right to the resist the efforts. Sometimes you might even laugh at your own silly need to make the child do something. But that is another story. What I want to tell here is about one method I found very effective to inspire my triplets to behave the way I want them to behave, without my being harsh. I find it especially hard when all three preschoolers together start their tantrums, end up hitting or biting each other the next moment or make a lot of noises or throw things- harming themselves in the process. They fall down, get hit, and start crying. It is not advisable to always offer them toys or snacks to get them to calm down or do something I want them to do, because this might later become a habit. 
So what is the effective method?

Tell them a story.

Yes, I found this to be the best method. But you need to choose(or make up) a story apt for the situation. For example, you want your preschooler to get up from bed, get ready and go to school, and he just doesn't want to do any of these. You can try this story (This I made up now, and it does not have any particular quality. But in the link given at the end of this post I have given a couple of nice stories from Indian Mythology, which can really inspire children)- 'Once upon a time there lived two baby rabbits in a big forest. One was a lazy bum called Thimmayya, and the other was a smart one called Fastrabbit. One day Fastrabbit got up very early as usual and saw the glorious morning sun (while telling this gently pick him up and show the rising sun through the window, if possible, or just show a nice sunrise picture). Fastrabbit called Thimmayya but he just kept sleeping. He ran out and brushed and his teeth shone like white pearls. Then he took a nice bath in the sparkling waters of Bluesparkle Pond (Use names, a lot many adjectives.. these will help his vocabulary and will surely make him fall in love with language, which is essential to make him want to read). Now Bluesparkle has a lot of red and yellow and blue water lilies and lotuses in it (Add flower names, colors etc. as many as possible- this stretches the story as well as his imagination. Now he is with you in the pond, while he does his brushing and his bathing). After his refreshing bath Fastrabbit went out to the carrot garden and got the best and fresh carrots for himself. (Describe the carrots to the tiniest detail). Fastrabbit started muching the sweet, red carrots one by one. And there he was! He became very strong! He jumped up and down, danced here and there, and ate a lot more vegetables, and drank his milk. Now he was the strongest and smartest one in all the forest! By now Thimmayya came out but all he could get was some ugly and spoiled carrots. So he wasn't strong at all. Fastrabbit was watching the flowers when suddenly a lion named Cruesimha jumped at him! But Fastrabbit was so smart he could just jump to the side and the lion fell on his nose and cried.(Act out this well, and you'll get unstoppable giggles!) Now Fastrabbit ran and hid himself while the angry lion got up and looked around. He saw a scared and weak Thimmayya sitting there. Cruesimha caught Thimmayya easily and was about to swallow him when an elephant named Bandiana jumped at the lion and scared him. The frightened lion left Thimmayya there and ran off. Now, how did Bandiana come there? Fastrabbit called him. they were close friends and they both got up earl and ate fresh food, and both were very strong. Cruesimha was as lazy as Thimmayya, so he didn't have a chance against the smart duo. Thimmayya now learned his lesson, got up early everyday, ate good food and became strong like Fastrabbit and befriended other smarties like Bandiana. They all lived happily ever after.

By the time you finish the story, he should be ready for school, ready to face the world. Or as in my case, the end their tantrums and listen intently when I narrate a nice, motivating story.

You think this is difficult? To make up stories, or to choose the right one, and tell all that? Believe me, with three four-year-old kids, I do this almost every day (sometimes they are very well behaved and nice without any prompting at all), and I always find it highly rewarding. You yourself get a new energy telling the story, stretching your imagination. All three of them listen intently, while going through their chores. And I never have to use a harsh or loud word, or shout at them. You in fact save time with this method. Try it! I have given some inspiring stories you can use, from Indian Mythology in the post inspiring-stories-for-preschoolers

Triplets love stories

Kutty tries coloring

Kids love to listen to mother's voice

There is yet another effective method, that is to tell them this is what your superhero will do now. For instance when I want my son to pick up the scattered toys and keep them in the shelf, I tell him- 'Look at Peter Parker (Spider-man)! Everyday he takes the garbage out- that's his duty. Similarly your duty now is to keep the toys in the shelf. Remember, with great power comes, great responsibility! This works every single time! See also my post on how to make your kid collect superhero points- Animations-and-other-movies-for-children.
So next time, the moment you feel like shouting at your kid or banging your own head, try these methods.. And do share with me what happened!

Inspiring Stories for Children

Today I am going to post three inspiring stories for children from Indian Mythology. I say 'inspiring for children' because it helps a lot to tell them these when there is a lot of fights and kicks and tantrums to study or to go to school, or even to just get up in the morning. These are not particularly education related stories, but just inspiring in their own way. See this related post- Effectively-Motivating-Preschoolers. And of course, there is a way to tell kids stories, if they have to be effective. 

I use a number of techniques to get my triplets to go to school in the morning, all 'Sama Dana Bheda Danda' approaches, and this story telling comes in the 'Sama' category. So here we go.

Story 1: Yavakrida

Once upon a time, there lived two sages, named Bharadwaja and Raibhya, who were dear friends. Raibhya and his two sons, Paravasu and Arvavasu, learnt the Vedas and became famed scholars. Bharadwaja devoted himself wholly to the worship of God.  

He had a son named Yavakrida who became unhappy that people did not respect his ascetic father as they did the learned Raibhya. Yavakrida also wanted to learn the Vedas, but he did not have the patience to study from a teacher as that would take many years. He wanted knowledge instantly and directly. He began practicing austerities and hard penance to please Indra, chief of gods. Indra appeared and asked him what he wanted. Yavakrida replied: "I wish to be learned in the Vedas, I wish to be a great scholar. I am performing these austerities to realise that desire. Indra smiled and said: "You are on the wrong path, child. Return home, seek a Guru and learn the Vedas from him. Austerity is not the way to learning; the path is study and study alone."  With these words Indra vanished. But Yavakrida would not give up. He pursued his course of austerities with even greater rigor and Indra again manifested himself before Yavakrida and warned him again: "You have taken the wrong path to acquire knowledge. You can acquire knowledge only by study. Your father learnt the Vedas by patient study and so can you. Go and study the Vedas. Desist from this vain mortification of the body." Yavakrida did not heed even this second warning of Indra and he continued his penance. One morning, during his austerities, when he went to bathe in the Ganga, be saw an old sage on the bank, laboriously throwing handfuls of pebbles into the water. Yavakrida asked: "Old man, what are you doing?" The old man replied: "I am going to build a bridge across this river. When, with handful after handful, I have built a bridge of pebbles here, people can cross the river with ease." Yavakrida laughed and said: "What a fool you must be to think you can build a bridge across this mighty river with your silly handfuls of pebbles! Arise and take to some more useful work." The old man said: "Is my work more foolish than yours of mastering the Vedas not by study but by austerities?" Yavakrida now knew that the old man was Indra. More humble this time, Yavakrida earnestly begged Indra to grant him learning as a boon. Indra blessed him to study hard and thus become learned and wise.

Story 2: Uthanka

Once a sage named Uthanka prayed to Krishna and Lord Krishna appeaed before him. The sage bowed to Krishna. Krishna told Uttanka to ask for a boon. Uttanka asked Krishna to grant him the boon of finding water whenever he was thirsty. Krishna granted the boon to Uttanka, and Uthanka’s simplicity pleased Krishna who then requested Indra to give him amrita which would make him an immortal, but Indra was not willing to give it to mortals. Finally, Indra relented and told Krishna that he would offer Uttanka the amrita as a Chandala (an outcaste untouchable), provided the sage did not refuse it. Krishna agreed to Indra's condition . One day wandering in the desert, the sage became thirsty and, hoping to get water, thought of Krishna, but instead, he found a naked Chandala bringing water in a pot. The Chandala was covered in mud and surrounded by filthy dogs. The Chandala repeatedly requested Uttanka to drink the water he brought. But when Uttanka refused, the Chandala disappeared. Then when Krishna appeared on the scene Uttanka and said that by refusing the water from the Chandala, he forever lost the chance to become immortal- a person who can consider everyone equal only can have the blessing of Amrita.  However, Krishna promised to keep his boon of providing water to the sage. He then blessed Uttanka that rain clouds would appear at his bidding and bring rain showers in the desert. These clouds appear rarely, and in the desert rain clouds are still known as Uttanka’s clouds (Uttanka Megha)

Story 3: Good Conduct

Once the Asura king named Prahlada became the emperor of the three worlds because he was a man who had the highest character, who performed the most difficult austerities. Determined to find out the secret of Prahlada's success Indra assumesd the form of a sadhu and went to Prahlada to serve him as a disciple. Pleased with the disciple's service and determination, Prahlada told him his success was due to his following his Guru's teachings. Indra continued to serve Prahlada and eventually the Asura emperor, pleased with the devotion shown and the service rendered, asked his disciple to ask for a boon, not knowing he is Indra. Indra replied saying that all he wanted was Prahlada's character and integrity. Prahlada granted him the boon and Indra left his teacher.

Soon Prahlada saw a dazzlingly lustrous figure emerge from his body and leave him. When Prahlada asked him who he was, the figure said that he was Sheela, Integrity, and he was leaving him because Prahlada had given him away. He went to join the sadhu that was Indra.

Soon another radiant being emerged from Prahlada's body and when asked who he was, the being told that he was Dharma: virtue and righteousness. After Dharma too left him, telling him he was going to live in the body of the sadhu since he, Dharma, lived only where Integrity was. Soon Prahlada found himself being abandoned by Satya, Truth, and Vritta, Uprightness, and then yet another Bala, Strength, all leaving him one by one to live in the sadhu, following Integrity. 

Following Bala, a beautiful goddess emerged from Prahlada’s body and when asked she told him she was Shree, the goddess of wealth, prosperity, good fortune and all else that was auspicious. Shree told him that she had to leave because she always followed Integrity, Virtue, Truth, Uprightness and Strength. She also told him that the sadhu was none other than Indra, Indra has robbed him of his Integrity and where Integrity is not, there can be no Dharma, no Truth, no Morality, no Strength and no wealth, prosperity or good fortune (courtesy: www.boloji.com)

These three stories give children as well as adults three important messages: first one tells us that there is no short cut to success and learning, but studying and hardwork. Second story tells us to treat everyone equal, and to be kind to everyone, whereas the third story demonstrates the importance of good behavior and integrity. These stories are very short which can be elaborated with details to enhance children's imagination, and impart powerful messages and morals.
See this related post- Effectively-Motivating-Preschoolers.