The tales we told her were probably thin versions of whatever picture book or early learning story we were reading at the time.
But what seemed like just a game to us was really a fantastic learning opportunity. She was teaching us to translate the information and knowledge we had picked up throughout the day into words.
Put simply, she was training us to be creative thinkers.
Developing and enhancing creativity. Creativity is like a muscle—you have to use it to strengthen it and keep it strong. Small children are imagination machines. Encouraging them to tell stories teaches them to harness that imagination.
Encouraging language development. Telling stories helps a child develop language and vocabulary. The more they practice and the more they explore words, the more confidently they will be able to put their thoughts into sentences.
Building confidence and self-esteem. Children require reassurance and confidence as they take the path to independence. Being able to invent their own stories and discovering that their ideas count is a wonderful boost to their self-esteem.
Encouraging a love of words, language and reading. Nothing serves a child better than a love of words, language and reading. For the rest of their lives they will be rewarded and enriched.
Incorporate story-time into your daily routine. Start by telling your child a story and then ask them to tell you one.
Give prompts. If your child is struggling to come up with an idea, don't be afraid to give prompts or suggestions.
Ask them to elaborate. Be engaged with your child's story—ask about the characters, their feelings, their motivations, their actions.
Make it fun! This shouldn't be a chore; it should be your child's favourite part of the day. Get started today!
Guest post contributed by Young Authors, who believe in fostering and cherishing children's creativity and imagination. Check out more of their articles on their blog.
A very important post for parents to read! Should, like you suggest, go hand-in-hand with reading.
What a good idea Uday!
love, love, love this article. So true. I told stories to my children. Never thought of them telling stories to me. Excellent advice.
The encouragement to tell stories is so important for young people (and adults!) One of the great gifts my parents gave me was that they did have us tell stories, and us kids all worked together to craft stories.
An absolutely wonderful post. Good job.
Great ideas. Unfortunate that all too often parents or other caregivers are seemingly trying to find ways to prevent children from telling stories.
I totally agree with you there Kaine.
Posting this on my Facebook page!
Yes. Yes. Yes. Great post. Thanks. The gift of story telling is a life skill all kids should be encouraged to embrace. I read my kids awake in the morning, and asleep at night. And in between we tell stories to each other—in the garden, on long car rides, cooking dinner. Now I'm off for my weekly session working on writing projects with the kids in my sons class. Share the power of storytelling!
Awesome advice to all to follow! Kids love to tell stories!
This is brilliant. I adore when my 4 year old makes up her own little stories – mostly beginning with 'I had a dream'. We really don't know if these 'dreams' are real or made up. I'm definitely going to encourage this more often. Thank you!