ABSTRACT
The Bridges storytelling program is unthinkable without creative drama and the introduction of specifically designed games that enhance the writing, reading, drawing, and thinking of the children. Though our work has primarily involved grades two through six, our program and techniques can easily be adapted to the needs and skills of threeyear-olds to ninety-year-olds. I have traveled throughout the United States and given workshops for all levels of students, including university students and adults, who attend special programs at community or cultural centers. They had no difficulty exploring, changing, and then using our methods and games to suit their purposes. Our storytelling and theater games have been created so that they foster the cognitive development and cooperation of all the participants: the teaching artist, the teacher, the students, and anyone else who participates in a given session. Everyone undergoes changes in our program. Each session has a set structure that provides the students with a secure and flexible framework within which they work and play. They are constantly challenged by variations and unexpected tasks, new twists and turns that form the roadways of their lives. As they navigate through our two-hour session, they learn the importance of narrating their own lives with found objects and through improvisation.
