Once upon a time, storytelling was a way to pass the time. But now, in 2021, it’s a great way to entertain and teach others new ideas.

National Storytelling Week is celebrated each year from 30th January to 6th February, and anyone of any age can take part! The event often takes place everywhere from schools to hospitals and care homes. This year we encourage you to take part in your own home to avoid missing out!

Storytelling is most popular with the likes of folktales, fairytales and love stories, but the possibilities of genres are endless! Whichever genre is yours or your child’s favourite, why not find a book online and read it out loud to those you live with or via video call to friends or extended family that you can’t be with right now? It’s a fantastic way to share your favourite story through your own imagination and interpretation, or you can even invent something entirely new! Either way it will provide some much needed entertainment and escapism!

Whilst there’s a difference between storytelling and reading, both can be a great distraction from the real world, which is more important now than ever. And so to get more people involved with storytelling and reading, we’ve created templates so that you or the little ones can create your own bespoke bookmark! Click here to download and print them and get colouring!