Once upon a time, before video games and iPods, storytelling entertained children of all ages.

And so it came to pass that an interactive workshop was held for more than 70 parents and children Friday to teach the ancient art of storytelling.

''More than reading the words off a page, storytelling is about bringing a story to life,'' said Dia Carter-Webb, director of School Based Education with Arts for Learning, a nonprofit that promotes arts education.

She coordinated Friday's workshop to promote early literacy though storytelling at the United Way Center for Excellence in Early Education, 3250 SW Third Ave.

Using construction-paper puppets, musical instruments and simple household items, parents learned how to turn story time into an adventure.

Parents also learned about the importance of reading regularly with their children.

According to Carter-Webb, children need to hear 1,000 stories read aloud before they begin to read for themselves.

She encourages parents to share books with their child at least two to three times every day to increase the child's vocabulary and build listening comprehension.

Yusmary Padron attended the workshop with her 8-month-old son, Sebastian.

''I am so happy I took the time to come to the session,'' Padron said. ``Even though my son is very young, I want to expose him to books now so he will learn to love reading.''

The storytelling workshop is one of dozens of trainings and seminars held throughout the year at the United Way Center for Excellence in Early Education.

The center partners with nonprofits and universities to provide parents, caregivers, teachers and others with information on how best to teach and care for children from birth to age 5.

Most of the training is offered to the community free of charge.

''One of the goals of the center is to provide parents with the tools and resources they need to help their child learn and grow,'' said Gladys Montes, vice president of the United Way the Center in Early Education. ``We cannot forget parents are a child's first and most important teacher.''

The center, which opened two years ago in The Roads, is dedicated to improving the quality of early education.

In addition to the ongoing trainings, parents can visit the Center's Resource Library, which houses books and materials on early childhood education.

To learn about upcoming trainings and workshop go to www.unitedwaycfe.org.

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