Storytelling is the oldest and purest form of teaching. It is an important part of the early childhood learning program. It plays a vital part in a preschooler’s overall development because through stories, children are able to learn more about life, the world, and themselves.
At Greensprings School, storytelling is one of the many ways we promote children’s cognitive and literacy development. It is a unique way for our children to develop understanding, respect and appreciation for others and also helps them develop a basic mastery of reading and writing.
To this end, we have highlighted five major importance of storytelling to child development.
Storytelling develops a child’s cultural and moral understanding
One major importance of storytelling to child development is that telling historical and traditional stories will help children learn to study their own cultures and start to understand that people have a variety of racial, religious, and national origins.
With storytelling, children can get important cultural and moral lessons. Fables cleverly include moral lessons in ways that are frequently well-received and enjoyed by children.
Storytelling enhances a child’s communication skills
Storytelling is a fun way for your child to get familiar with words, syllables and sounds that they may not have usually heard in everyday conversations. This helps broaden your child’s vocabulary, as children pick up new words as they hear them.
When telling stories, children should be actively encouraged to ask questions and to talk about how they feel, the plot and the characters in the story. This will increase their willingness to express themselves and communicate their thoughts and feelings.
Storytelling heightens children’s curiosity and imagination
Another importance of storytelling to child development is that children who are told stories are inspired to be imaginative and creative.
Storytelling enables a child to visualise the scene, the people in the narrative, and the plot as it develops. The child is able to create the picture in which the narrative is set for themselves rather than receiving the visual to go along with the words, as in the case of watching movies.
It is also important to always choose a diverse range of topics and themes to foster your child’s creative thinking.
Storytelling improves children’s social skills
Through storytelling, children are motivated to listen to others. They learn to be more patient and to let others speak, they begin to open their minds to other people’s opinions and become understanding of others’ thoughts.
Their focus and listening skills are also developed as they pay attention to what the storyteller is saying. As you tell stories, they will realise that if they do not listen, they will miss out on some part of the plot.
Storytelling makes learning process easier
Storytelling is a good way to prepare your child for school because it makes learning easier and more natural. It also improves a child’s concentration, which is a plus for academic success.
Storytelling to child development is a fundamental human endeavour. Early childhood education needs to embrace literacy programs that actively employ storytelling.
