Use different voices for different characters. It'll make the story come alive.
Involve the children. Let them guess what will happen next in the story. For instance, when telling 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears', stop at the part where Goldilocks enters the house and ask the kids what they think she'll do first. You can also act out parts of the story. If it's 'Hansel and Gretel', pretend to be the children walking through the forest. This makes the story - telling more interactive and thus more engaging.
Adding details to the description helps a lot. Instead of just saying 'a spooky house', describe it as 'a dilapidated, creaking house with broken windows and a sagging roof. The wind whistled through the cracks, making an eerie sound'. This paints a vivid picture in the kids' minds and makes the story more engaging.
Use different voices for different characters in the story. For example, if there's a monster, use a deep, growling voice. It makes the story more vivid.
Use different voices for different characters. For example, if there's a monster in the story, use a deep, growling voice. This will immediately draw the kids in.
Using different voices for each character can make 'plugged in bedtime stories' more engaging. It brings the story to life.
Use different voices for different characters. For example, if you're telling a story about a monster and a victim, make the monster's voice deep and growly and the victim's voice shaky and scared. This helps the listeners to better visualize the story.
Involve some mystery. Maybe the time traveler doesn't know how they got to a certain time or place and has to figure it out during the story. This keeps the listener on the edge of their seat. Another way is to include some kind of quest or mission that the character has to complete in the different time period. This gives the story a purpose and makes it more interesting.
Use vivid descriptions. For example, if the story is set in a city street, describe the bright neon lights, the smell of the food from the food trucks, and the different sounds like the honking of cars. This will make kids feel like they are really there.
Add interactive elements. Pause during the story and ask the kids what they think the beast will do next. This gets them involved and makes the story more exciting. Also, you can make sound effects like growling for a bear - like beast or neighing for a horse - like beast. This brings the story to life. You can also relate the beast's actions to things the kids do, like when the beast is looking for food, compare it to when the kids look for their favorite snack.
Describe the jungle in great detail. Talk about the tall trees with their thick canopies that block out the moonlight in parts. Mention the colorful flowers that glow in the dark. And describe the different textures of the jungle floor, like the soft moss and the rough rocks. This vivid description will draw the kids into the world of the jungle bedtime story and keep their attention.