Pre-schoolers Explore Stories Through Kamishibai

At the West Bee Nursery School in Brattleboro VT, three, four and five year olds had the opportunity to enjoy Japanese kamishibai stories and a variety of story extensions activities.  From January through March of '09, Dianne made seven visits to West Bee Nursery School. 

To the left, Dianne is introducing the kamishibai theater to the children on her first visit to the preschool.  Each visit included the presentation of two kamishibai stories, a familiar and a new story.  The first story Dianne introduced was The Little Chick.  After a movement activity that included walking tall like the chick and pouncing like the cat, the children each made a little chick puppet.  The puppets were used later for a "Chick Puppet Parade", both as part of story play and for the parent "Kamishibai Party" at the end of the residency.  Fine motor development, attention to directions, and story discussion were all a part of the puppet making.

For young children, attending to a story as a group, and experiencing the story in a group, is an important part of language and literacy development as well as social and emotional development.  Kamishibai are so visually compelling, and lend themselves so well to dramatic retellings, that it is easy for children to attend to the stories with completely absorbed and engaged attention.

  

An important literacy goal for the West Bee Nursery School residency was for each child to create their own kamishibai story.  At the preschool, this was approached by introducing the children to a fun and highly patterned kamishibai called Grow, Grow, Grow, as Big as You Can!  Each child created a three page miniature kamishibai, based on an object of their choosing that would grow in their short kamishibai.

Titles created at West Bee by the children include My Race Car, The Rainbow Hotel, and Sleeping Beauty and her Pup.  These stories were read to the class by their preschool teachers over the winter, and were presented to the families during the "Kamishibai Party".

Another important, and very fun, part of the kamishibai residency program was for children to re-enact the kamishibai stories.  Children took turns being audience members and having character roles for these re-enactments.

To the left, the children act out The Kitten, a simple and beautful kamishibai illustrated by Kyoko Watanabe.  Dianne hand holds the kamishibai while tying their play into the story text.  Above, children laugh as players act out a section of an old Japanese folktale called Issunboshi, the One Inch Boy.

Of course, an equally fun story extension to Issunboshi was when the children made their own magic mallets.  A magic mallet had transformed life for Issunboshi and the princess-  so having a magic mallet of their own seemed like a pretty good idea to the preschoolers at West Bee.

Many stories came alive at West Bee Nursery School this winter.  Dianne would like to thank director Moriah Oldham, teacher Wendy Cristofolini, and assistant teacher Miss Diane for their commitment to the project.  Also, many thanks to the United Way of Windham County for their generous support of the project.

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