Reading & Kids - Adding Atmosphere

August 6th, 2009

Red Riding Hood ran down the forest path. Whatever it was…that thing in the dark that tried to grab her, was close by. She could feel it. The dim light from the moon became even more muffled as black clouds rolled in and obscured the glowing disc.

Red Riding Hood glanced back down the path – The twisted trees seemed to crowd overhead, as if they were reaching for each other. Or perhaps they were reaching for her.

Her breath caught in her throat as a branch somewhere behind her went “crack!” She quickly moved along, looking for a way to her grandmother’s cottage.

Picture this: You’re watching a scary movie in a dark room all alone. The curtains are drawn, its night and there’s a roll of thunder outside. Maybe it’s the movie where the call is coming from inside the house! Then your phone rings!

Scary right?

Now picture yourself watching that same scary movie on a bright cheery day with the warm sun streaming in through the windows and kids playing outside, laughing. What happened? It’s the same story. The same B-Movie actress that never seems to land anything big. The same demented music.

Atmosphere is everything in storytelling that isn’t the storyteller himself. It’s the crackling fireplace and the big dog curled up in the flickering shadows while you hear a ghost story. It’s the sun drenched park where you tell your children about a beautiful castle in the sky while they lie back and stare up at the white fluffy clouds. Or maybe it’s just you and your child cozy in their bedroom with the lights dimmed to create an extra sense of mystery and wonder.

Atmosphere doesn’t have to be complex, and all it takes is a little planning and creativity. For a child, any effort you make in this area turns storytime into a magical adventure. Here are ten ways to make your child’s next bedtime story become something they will carry with them for a long time.

Lighting

Hollywood uses it, why shouldn’t you? Okay, granted you don’t have a huge budget (or employees running around to set up mood lighting,) but do you have a dimmer switch? Cutting light levels even slightly can make the whole experience more cozy and special. It’s also a great way to transition your child from awake to dreamland in no time. If you don’t have a dimmer, cutting the overhead lights and turning on a small corner lamp can have the same effect. Or for maximum atmosphere, a few candles in the room will give everything a cheery glow, or a sinister edge depending on what you read. Remember to blow out the candles and take them out of the room when you’re finished for the night!

A flashlight

While on the topic of lighting, why not use a flashlight? This one little tool can have a great number of uses. Ghost stories at Halloween? A little under the face lighting will insure that your child won’t forget the experience anytime soon! (The unfortunate side effect is that you might find them sleeping in your bed later that night, and your spouse has sent you to the couch for being too scary). Light against the wall? A few shadow puppets can add an almost dream-like quality to your storytelling. Or how about a fort? Set up some cushions and a sheet overhead, switch on your flashlight and all of a sudden your bedtime telling of Treasure Island becomes a whispered story in a secret cave that you and your child share.

Music

So many of our memories are linked to songs we hear – it’s no different when we read. A story can become magnified in drama, excitement or even comedy with a few well chosen songs playing in the background. Try orchestrated music - Classical composers or movie scores are a great source of mood music, and you won't have to compete with anyone else's vocals. Your child will forever associate certain delightful adventures, daring escapes and stories of true love with the music that you expose them too. This has the added benefit of promoting an interest of music in your child, something which will pay off dividends for the rest of their lives.

Sound Effects

We’re not talking about the ones you’ll throw into the story using your voice. Those are assumed (and if you don’t do them all the time your child will remind you that you should be…) What we’re talking about here are ambient sound effects – which just means stuff you put in the background. It’s easier than you think – Relaxation CDs are readily available with sounds of nature and exotic locales. An adventure through the mountains takes on a whole new dimension for a child who can hear the chill wind blowing. Or what story of pirates is complete without sounds of the ocean?

Smell and Taste

The absolute masters of our memory senses, our deepest emotions are linked through smell and taste (which in turn are heavily linked to each other). Books like The Hobbit by Tolkien, the Redwall series by Brian Jacques and the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis make liberal use of references to the food and drink the characters eat and the powerful and beautiful scents that envelop their world. Of course, you could just read about the Turkish delights in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, but your child may have the inevitable question, “What’s a Turkish delight?” What if you had one for your son or daughter to try? All of a sudden the book becomes something much more real and relevant. This tactic might not be the best if they’ve already brushed their teeth, but you get the idea.

Scents too can be handled the same way. If the adventure takes your heroes deep into a pine forest, having a small branch of real pine or a cup of crushed pine needles to let your child sniff could complete the picture for them in a way that words never could. Your child now builds a link in their mind, and feels the story in an entirely new way.

Props

Again, you’re not competing with Hollywood here. Simpler is better! Your hero has a sword, you have a broom handle. The princess gets her crown, your daughter gets the paper version you made earlier in the day. The stranger wears a mysterious cloak and hood? What about that hoodie sweater you’re always wearing? Children amplify their surroundings with their imagination, as long as you feed and nurture it.

Texture

Rounding off our senses is touch. A child listening to your story may yearn to feel what the characters do: What does a horse mane actually feel like? A plush magic carpet? The scales of a dragon? Assembling a few household items can answer these questions and more.

Here's a trick for the dragon scales: Cut out pieces of cardboard into 'scales' the length of your index finger. Make a dozen or so. Wrap each tightly with tinfoil and then put them all into a cloth bag (something dark and mysterious looking). Sprinkle in some craft-store sparkles and close the bag. Later on when you're reading to your child and the knight enters the dragon cave and finds the dragon's scales, dramatically pull out the bag. Tell your child that this is a very old bag of dragon scales that you bought from a mysterious stranger - They can reach in and feel the scales, but if they pull them out they'll turn into cardboard.

That story just got a LOT more real!

Your voice

We cover the art of reading to your child in an earlier article, but it bears repeating here: You are the most important part of the story. Especially before your child can read, you are their only link to the great adventures locked inside the book covers. Play it up, be outgoing and be confident. Your child isn’t judging you, he or she is loving you for just showing up. It’s rare in life we get a chance to do something and be 100% sure we can’t mess it up.

David Tilgner is the president of Skratch Publishing Inc., and a regular contributor to the Skratch Blog. His favourite kids book is 'Alice in Wonderland' by Lewis Carroll.