Children like making things up. They exaggerate some stories to give them ‘flavour.’ Pretending and imagining are important to your child’s development.
When small children start telling tall tales, your first reaction might be amusement. After all spinning a fantastical story is part of her normal development. However, when it progresses to telling tall tales that are more lie than a story, you should act by teaching her the difference between telling a story and lying.
Here are tips to do that:
• Teach her the difference between a fictional story and a tall tale. Tell her that making up a story that’s a fantasy is acceptable, but telling tall tales and trying to make them appear as fact is wrong.
• Listen carefully to her telling a tall tale. When she’s through, ask her to point out parts that are true and what parts she made up. If she declines to admit that parts were made up, point them out for her.
For instance, if she’s telling a story about going shopping with dad, point out that part as being true, but remind her that she didn’t see a hippopotamus cross the street. Understanding the difference between fact and fiction can help your child reduce her tall tale behaviour.
• When she’s clearly telling a tall tale gently point out untrue parts, and say you’re disappointed that she isn’t telling you the truth. Give her another chance to tell the truth. Your disappointment that she’s not telling the truth is often motivation to change her story and only tell the truth.
• Add to the house rules that lying is not allowed in your home. Emphasise that you expect her to always tell the truth and promise to do the same. On the same note, model appropriate behaviour by always telling the truth yourself.
Entertaining activities for Kids on telling the truth
Children can also be guided out of tall tales through fun activities that help her distinguish between truth and falsehood.
Playing games
Playing games with your child is an important learning process. There are many games that will help her distinguish between truth and lies.
For instance, tell her you’re going to say three things -- two will be true and one will be false. Her work is to point out the lie. Use simple statements like, “I love eating tomatoes.” Then let her have a turn making up the statements.
Reading
Read her storybooks or tell her some stories that focus on honesty or lie telling. The moral endings to these books teach the character her lesson and realises that truth is the best policy.
The ever-hilarious story of the boy who cried wolf is a great way to introduce the idea that once lies make a person lose credibility. You can also use the pictures in these books to play a true or not-true game.
TV and movies
Watch TV and movies with your child and discuss what you’re seeing. Pause, if possible, to ask her to take a guess at what might happen next or to probe a character’s motivation for telling lies by asking,
“Why did she say that?” Highlight the moral lesson in everything you watch. Ask your child questions at the end to review the moral lessons the characters learned. Ask her what she would have done in the same situation.