Monster Kids

Some misconceptions about storytelling sessions are that it’s fun and always smooth-sailing. Apparently I seemed to have painted a too rosy picture on the kids and the sessions. Ideally, sessions should look like the picture above. I tell the story, the kids listen, laugh, raise their hands to answer questions, get scammed by me by telling them stuff like the Earth is bigger than the Sun etc. That is the fun part.

And normally the kids are really cooperative. That that’s most of the time too. I’ve been telling stories for almost 2 years already and I think I’ve got quite a lot of experience handling children. From my experience, kids are nice creatures. There are those with ADHD/attention seeking streaks but there’s nothing that can make me crazy.

The most common problem faces are kids talking to each other during the session. Usually I’ll let them do that, as long as they don’t talk too loud and disturb the others around them. This is a touchy issue actually because other librarians/storytellers that I’ve talked with over the years have different standpoints on this issue.

You’ve got to understand that some of this kids are thrown into the sessions unwillingly, their parents just dump them here and go somewhere else, it’s much like putting your kid at the playground and then running off shopping. Well, it’s exactly like that actually, but thankfully that’s a really low percentage. Also because the age group is really diverse, there are kids as young as 3 and as old as 10, so stories that captivate the younger ones won’t interest the older kids, and my chosen stories are always biased towards the younger ones; Really easy picture books.

So anyway I’ll leave talking kids alone, maybe the occasional SHHHHHHHH.

But if they really loud in their own group, the best solution is to…….

Separate them. Separation, the best thing ever. Just like noisy quarreling couples, noisy talkative kids when separated equates to golden silence.

But talking is one of the most minor problem that will pop up. The others range to lying on the floor, standing up, hitting another member of the audience. However the worst would be running around and attempting to be witty.

Running around is something that is pretty interesting. This usually occurs with the 5-7 year olds. The psychology behind it varies from child to child. Kids, unless they are autistic, will never run around alone. It has to be a group activity, usually initiated by a ‘leader’, the older kid usually, the elder brother, the kid who talks back, the kid who tries to laugh at everything you say, the kid who echoes your every world. Alone, the kid is practically harmless, put him in a social group and he starts to get bolder and does things that he knows is bad and tries to gain the attention of you and the other kids.

How do I handle these jokers?

Obviously this involves showing them who is the boss. Usually when I get up for my comfortably seated chair, someone has to pay. I’ll get up, and very sternly and firmly ask the kids to sit. Ideally I’d wish they would just sit and be quiet, but usually they’ve warmed up their guts and are ready to talk back/ignore me. Most of the time they would sit, start laughing, look at me, and then when I continue telling my story, they would echo every single word.

They just want to be noticed by the other kids. Unfortunately most of the kids don’t like them. One of the most effective methods is peer pressure. Usually singling out the leader, making him stand, getting everyone to stare at him is enough to get him embarrassed enough to be a good kid for the rest of the session. But embarrassment isn’t nice so that’s one of my last restorts. It’s remarkably effective.

However there are those whom that method is moot to them too.

That’s when they get a taste of a Kodomut scolding. When I scold, it’s scary.

So scary that kids usually cry. Wait, they always cry, havent have a kid that hasn’t cried yet. What do I say? I actually have no idea but it usually ends of with me asking them to stay back after the session and making them tell their exploits to their parents. But they just go scared and silent and I’ve to tell their parents their exploits.

Thankfully the regulars are all nice kids, these crazy kids only come once in a while. The regulars always tell me it’s very exciting when I get scary. ^^ Don’t you just love kids!