"Once upon a time there was a little rabbit," said Malika Mustamira followed by her mimicking a rabbit's ears on a recent Tuesday afternoon. Her classmates sat fixated in a circle.

The 6-year-old girl was recounting a story to her classmates as part of a storytelling lesson at the Kampung Dongeng (storytelling village) studio in Ciputat, South Tangerang, Banten.

Malika used to be timid and overly dependent, her mother Nur Murni, 43, said. However, after several months spending time in the studio, Malika grew confident and even brave enough to take part in the studio's play.

"She was able to express her emotions better," Nur said adding that being part of a community also made her daughter more disciplined and committed. 

But she pointed out that the most important thing was that the kids were able to enjoy the activities. 

"Today we’re learning to read-aloud and storytelling," 7-year-old Noya Divani Imron, said during break time in which the children were asked to read books in the studio's library.  

Before the storytelling, the children were seen doing vocal exercises with the studio's volunteer teachers. Noya's mother, Wahda Dewi Wardah, 35, was one of them.

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