Storytelling: Creating Foundations for Academic Success

Storytelling is a tradition that goes back generations. It is one of the first forms of entertainment created by man. Even ancient caves depict stories that were told to both young and old to pass time. Children today have all the technology they could ever imagine at their fingertips. However, they still love listening to a good story.

Storytelling is not just taking out a book, opening it, and reading it. Instead, storytelling is taking any story and sharing it from the heart. Think about a person you may know that is a great storyteller. Don’t you love getting sucked into their story? No matter how outrageous or simple it is, people love to be told stories.

Benefits of Storytelling

Why would you take the time to tell a story instead of reading a story? I’ll tell you why. Telling a story from the heart allows the storyteller to take certain liberties they might not take while reading from a text. These nuances in the storytelling process teach so much about literacy and bolsters a child’s love for reading!

Let’s take a look into what happens in the development of a child when they are told stories regularly:

• Children are able to use their imagination each time the story is told. Since there are no pictures to show, children have to come up with the visuals on their own. This broadens their ability to imagine and create.
• Children learn the process of telling a story: There is some sort of introduction (once upon a time, one day, etc), characters, a problem and a solution to that problem, and some way to end the story and wrap up the lesson learned.
• They begin to see themselves as a storyteller. Once they see you doing it, they will begin telling stories of their own. Becoming an avid reader and writer is only a short hop away from being a storyteller!
• Children love the interactive nature of storytelling. They love completing actions along with the story or changing up the words once in a while. When you tell the story, you can make any kinds of adjustments you want!
• Children start to build a love of reading at a very young age. As young children appreciate reading, they will likely become avid readers in the future.
• Listening skills are essential in future success. Children are constantly practicing their listening skills while they are listening and imagining to a story.
• Storytelling can set a foundation for writing development. Children might begin to draw pictures about the stories they hear and might even begin to write words to go along with their pictures. These are the beginning steps for creating authors!

I could probably go on and on about all the benefits of storytelling in your child’s development. However, the most important benefit is the special bond it creates between you and your child. Storytelling is often a one-on-one time that you and your child will cherish tremendously. With the fast-paced nature of everyday life, it is a wonderful gift to spend time together, imagining and creating stories.

How to Tell a Good Story

I know what you are probably thinking. There is no way your kids are going to listen to you tell them a story without a physical book in front of them. And for some kids, that might be true. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t still tell them great dramatic stories.

As children get older, their ability to listen and comprehend language increases. If your child is too young to sit and listen to a story now, try about in a few month and see if they have the ability then. The more they listen to language in stories, they more they will comprehend. With more comprehension, engagement is not far behind.

Great storytellers always have the same components. And it is much easier than you might think! You don’t need to be a professional actor or have a great imagination to create wonderful, imaginative stories.

• Choose a story you already know: It is much easier to tell a story if you already know the beginning, the problem, and the solution.
• Create voices for the characters: It is much more engaging if the characters have a little variety in their voices. It doesn’t have to be much, but children love hearing funny voices and will probably mimic it when they tell the story on their own.
• If you make a mistake or forget a part, don’t worry: Kids are not going to mind if you have to go back and retell a part of the story. That is all a part of storytelling. Most likely, if they have heard the story before, they will correct your mistake before you even notice it!
• Add actions: If there is a repetitive part of the story (which there usually is), add some actions into the story so your child can participate with you.

Feel free to play with storytelling as much or as little as you would like. Children love listening to stories and will enjoy listening no matter how you tell the story.

Learning Life Lessons Through Stories

Countless opportunities arise each day to teach your children valuable life lessons. One great way is through the use of storytelling. All stories have some sort of message or moral that teaches the reader or listener an important lesson from the character(s) in the story. Telling stories is a fun and engaging way to teach your children valuable lessons.

Take opportunities after telling a story to your child to talk about what they learned or maybe what the character in the story could have done differently. This is a great way to generate conversation with your young child. Even if they are unable to communicate verbally, they will still benefit from the discussion.

Storytelling is also a great way to navigate common childhood problems. You can make up stories on your own that cover topics that your child encounters daily (sharing, making friends, etc). This gives your child the opportunity to experience those situations and talk about them before they are put into that situation again.

Get Your Child in on the Action Too!

The best part about storytelling is the ability to get your child involved in the action too. The beautiful part of storytelling is the ability to change it up each time you tell it. You might switch up the dialogue a bit or maybe add more details to spice up the story. Either way, there is no wrong way to do it. Just as long as it encourages your child to listen and participate.

Encourage your child to add pieces to the story as you leave them out. Kids love correcting adults so if you leave a small part out of the story that you know your child will notice, you can have them fill in the blanks.

Many stories have repeated phrases that you can have your child repeat each time you get to that part in the story. For example: “Little pig, little pig, let me come in!” or “Run run as fast as you can. You can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man!” These little phrases are easy to memorize and children latch onto them. Have them say those parts along with you to get them involved in the story.

Involving your child in the storytelling process brings a deeper connection to the story and allows them the freedom to create stories on their own. Don’t be surprised if you all of a sudden start to hear them tell these stories to siblings or cousins and begin to write their own stories!

Where Can I Find Good Stories to Tell?

Classic fairy tales are a great place to start when you want to begin telling stories to your little ones. But sometimes it is hard to remember all of these stories on your own. Having a copy of the story for reference is a great idea. It may also teach you and your child some new stories that you can add to your collection.

These fairytale books have beautiful details and illustrations in the book. There are tons of benefits to reading physical books to your child so start with reading the story several times together. Then, when you think you are ready, try retelling it on your own without the book in front of you.

It will be fun for you and your child to try to remember and tell the story together. You can always go back to the book and read it together but sometimes it is more fun to tell it together in an interactive way.

Here are some great options of storybooks that have a wide collection of different fairytales that would be great to retell.

1. Fairy Tales: A Beautiful Collection of Favorite Fairy Tales: This collection of fairy tales has beautiful illustrations and invited young children to learn traditional stories in a fun way. The stories are not overly detailed which make them a good fit for eventually retelling together.
2. Usborne Illustrated Fairy Tales: Usborne books is known for their wide collection of quality books for young kids. Their fairy tale books are no exception. This collection of tales is great for kids five and up and is a great introduction to classic fairy tales. There are many more than this book so feel free to look at what else they have to offer.
3. Once Upon a Time/Habia una vez: Traditional Latin American Tales/Cuentos tradicionales latinoamericanos: This collection of traditional Latin American Stories in both English and Spanish. Many great stories come from traditional tales and this collection of stories is a great way to include a bit of culture into storytime.

Fitting Storytelling Into Your Daily Routine

In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, you may be wondering where you are going to fit in the time to tell your child stories. I wondered the same thing. What I found, however, is that I was able to include storytelling as a means to slow my kids down and then eventually as a part of our everyday routine.

The first time I made up a story for my daughter, it was just so she would sit still long enough to try to use the potty instead of running around the house. In my desperate attempt to get her to sit still, I started to blindly begin telling the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. I didn’t remember half of the story but she didn’t care. She sat there through the entire story, entranced by what was happening in the story.

She didn’t end up using the potty but I quickly learned the power of storytelling and how I could use it as a way to connect with my kids, even when we are busy. Now I tell my kids stories while we are driving in the car, while cleaning the house, or in situations like the doctor’s office where they need to sit still for a few minutes.

Sometimes I tell them stories we have read before but other times I tell them stories I just make up as I go. They might be based on a story I already know or something completely made up.

Be careful that you try to remember the made-up stories you tell. You never know when you will be requested to tell the story again! It might be hard to retell if you don’t remember what story you made up.

Another excellent time to begin storytelling is before nap and bedtime. Storytelling is a great day to wind down with your child and help them create imaginative dreams. My kids love reading physical books before bed but oftentimes they will also request a book ‘from the heart’ which means one that we’ve memorized and know by heart. They love listening to those stories and retelling them with us. It’s a great bonding activity to finish out our day.

Add Storytelling to Your Routine to Increase Academic Success

Just doing something as simple as telling your children stories can skyrocket their ability to grasp early foundational literacy skills. Listening to words, learning the patterns of stories and books, and increasing their general interest in books are vital to reading development.

Storytelling is fun, engaging, and helps build early literacy success. I would love to hear about your experiences with storytelling. Were you told stories as a kid? Do you tell stories to your children? What questions do you have about storytelling? I would love to hear from you!