Why Storytelling Is Important
Eensies.com comes up with some great advice again. It turns out that storytelling is not only good for our kids, it’s good for us too. Read on to find out why.
Tell Me a Story
Brett and Rebecca
by Rebecca of eensies.com
Children have an innate love of stories. Stories are magical and create a sense of wonder. Storytelling can be a wonderful addition or occasional alternative to your daily read aloud (you are reading to your munchkin everyday now, right?). Trust me, the benefits are tremendous.
Storytelling is great for stimulating imagination and creativity. It also helps children develop language, enhance their listening skills and improve their critical thinking and comprehension.
So, what to tell ‘em? You could tell your tot some stories you remember from childhood, like the time you tried to bake grandma a cake for her birthday and put in a cup of salt instead of sugar. Tell her a family story about her life (“the day we brought you home” is always a favorite). As we tell our children the stories of our lives, they learn about their family and the world and how they fit into it. What could be more important than that?
Children also L-O-V-E made-up stories. So why not get creative and make up your own tall tale? One fun idea: Charlie, the boy who could jump over skyscrapers. Try crafting a mixed-up fairy tale like Sleeping Ruby, the princess who would NOT sleep? Remember, stories are also a great way to teach lessons!
Feeling a little gun shy? Here are a few pointers to get you on your merry way
• use your voice, face and body to tell the story (grandpa was soooo tall)
• try out different, exaggerated character voices
• use silence and pauses to add dramatic effect
So, what do you have to lose? Come on, “Once upon a time…”
Extra credit: this eensie is perfect for those long, what are we going to do, car rides. Add it to your bag of tricks, you wont be sorry!
Brett Blair and Rebecca Caban first crossed paths eight years ago while pursuing their graduate degrees at the Bank Street College of Education. They’ve been working and playing together since then. Brett has taught for the past 10 years in Kindergarten through the 3rd grade. She currently teaches first grade at a renowned Manhattan public school and happily lives with her husband in the village. After teaching for 10 years, Rebecca is now being taught by her 2 year old daughter while spending their days together at home in Brooklyn. While in the classroom, she taught pre-K through the 3rd grade and spent time coaching other teachers.
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great post, rebecca. i agree that story-telling, fictional, biographical, historical is a wonderful opportunity for bonding as well as for enhancing a child’s use of imagination and fantasy. all good.
we still have too long of a bedtime routine as far as i’m concerned. book, story, song, goodnight friends. i tried to eliminate the story a little while ago (we always make it up together on the fly)—and soon noticed that without the story, my son was changing the words to the song. made me realize that he missed the opportunity to stretch his imagination and riff with his mama. so we’re keeping it. for now, at least!