How Story Telling Helps Your Child Learn | KalliKids

How does story telling help your child to learn?

Story telling will allow children to achieve in unexpected ways as it primarily appeals to the creative imagination and frees children of the barriers formed by anxiety over the more technical aspects of literacy.

The benefits of story telling

Stories not only strengthen the child’s understanding of language and serve as a vital aspect of the national curriculum for English, they also stimulate the brain in other areas and are of fundamental importance in child development.

Through reading to children from a young age we are introducing them to language in different ways. This knowledge and experience of language will positively support the child throughout their academic life. There is little doubt that the extent of a child’s understanding of literacy is hugely influenced by their home. Growing up in a literate family environment will give the child a huge advantage in their education.

Literacy and story telling

Of all the activities to support your child in literacy it is argued that sharing stories is the most beneficial.

As well as supporting children academically stories can help children gain valuable life lessons and manage emotions. In wanting to support children emotionally stories can be a great source to use. Stories can help children to understand an experience which they have been through and do not feel able to talk about, or that they are worried about. Children are less able than adults to open up emotionally, so through stories adults can directly help them to understand their emotions and show them that are not alone. Research shows that children come to a greater understanding of their own experience if they can relate it to the experience of others. Stories are a great way of providing this opportunity.

The emotional benefits of story telling

For some children, stories with emotional benefits provide them with the comforting feeling that they are not alone in their experiences. Hearing a story of someone going through a similar situation might enable a child to talk about their experiences or feelings. Or for a child without that experience it builds on their awareness of the difficulties this would present for a child in that situation.

Stories will also help teach children good morals and ethical values. They can help to broaden children’s awareness of different cultures which is incredibly beneficial for children in expanding their imagination and knowledge of the world they live in. In the past children and adults in Britain have not had a wide access to books originating abroad as in previous generations they were not published widely. Fortunately, however, this is now changing. From these books children can learn a valuable lesson in the appreciation of many different walks of life and expand their knowledge of the world beyond their own home.