Written by Baolin Lin, UF reporter
Many senior citizens have told of their greatest joy at meeting up with their grandchildren. However, it is often a challenge to sustain a conversation between the two generations. If you have the same experience, storytelling could be a way to bridge the gap.
‘Storytelling can strengthen the grandparent-grandchild relationship,’ said Grace Pow, founder of PowPow Storyland. After her retirement in 2020, Grace set up PowPow Storyland with two young partners. They aim to publish the Joyful Kids series which will help children develop a positive self-image, build strong interpersonal relationships as well as understanding their roles and obligations within their family, school and community.
Mandy Chan, partner and co-author, believes that storytelling is a powerful way to make connections. She suggests grandparents take some time to unwind and reconnect moral values with their grandchildren, spend quality family time and create more moments full of love, hope, joy and gratitude.
Jenny Ma, partner and designer, thinks that during storytelling, grandparents can help improve their grandchildren’s communication skills by asking them open-ended questions. She thinks colourful illustrations can motivate young children to read and unleash their creativity.
Currently, the Team is developing the Joyful Kids series, a series of Hong Kong-based English storybooks designed for K1 to Primary 1 young learners. Grace hopes that this series could create more opportunities for grandparents to open a dialogue with their grandchildren and create more quality family time to enhance family bonds.
