The importance of stories in a child’s life & their development.
“Written in these walls are the stories that I can’t explain
I leave my heart open but it stays right here empty for days”The story of my life, I take her home
I drive all night to keep her warm and time!
– one direction
how many of you remember this song? One recent study has discovered after food & shelter human’s basic need is storytelling. likewise, Children & toddlers are not different than that.
As we have grown up by hearing stories by our grandparents & elderly from our family. they took us on fantasy journeys with their tales — the wit of Birbal, the righteousness of the Pandavas, the stories of Vikram and Betaal etc. Those were the stories that helped us learn some important lessons in our lives. They taught us about the good and bad and also had a hand in making us the people we are as grown-ups. They taught us about evils & superheroes & how they exist in this world.
BTW, the Ramayana is mythology, not a story.
However, now the time has changed. Now we don’t live in the same joint families we used to. The family sizes also have become much smaller than before. Nuclear families with two working parents are becoming the norm today. Moreover, most cities and towns have changed dramatically over the years. They do not offer opportunities and environment for social and cultural interactions that we experienced as children. They don’t have the same interest that we had. You and I probably have grown up watching cartoon on T.V, but due to the technological shift, today’s children are watching pewdiepie, logan paul, superwoman, Mr. beast on youtube since the beginning.
Why stories are important for a child?
here is our take on this topic – “Anthropologists tell us that, storytelling is central to human existence. That it’s common to every known culture. That it involves a symbiotic exchange between teller and listener – an exchange we learn to negotiate in infancy”.
However, storytelling has multiple benefits on its own.
1. Introduces new vocabulary to children
Stories are incredible for language forming of a child. It introduces new vocabulary to your child’s mind, enhances the word choice when describing something, teaches about sequencing etc.
Using a language you’re comfortable with helps you to communicate more easily and helps to make storytelling more fun for you both. Your child will still learn that words are made up of different letters, syllables and sounds and that words usually link to the pictures on the page.
2. How to ask questions
If you can ask the right question, you will get the right answer. Telling unknown stories enables them to think & ask about things which were unknown to them.
A storyteller should use ways to make a child curious and encourage them to ask questions because this makes the child think. They learn to associate images in the book with the story and this develops their visualisation capacity and imagination. “A child’s memory capacity is enhanced when he/ she is asked to remember something from a story.
3. Cultural roots & history
Your child might go to a different medium school which is not your native language, they might not able to recognise your cultural history.
like, for example in India most city privileged people send their kid’s to English medium. Consequently, someone might not be aware of the history of their own culture. for instance Panjabi culture, Marathi culture, or Bengali culture, or south Indian culture for that matter.
With the help of storytelling, you can make them aware of your own culture, otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to pass our own culture to the next generation.
But remember “Stories shouldn’t be just about morals; they need to be thought-provoking,”
4. Storytelling can encourage the development of emotions and feelings in a child
Emotion makes us human. With emotion, we can make this world a better place. How? through art, creativity, innovation etc.
Story is all around us. Whether its form of a film or music or video game or advertisement some way or other we are consuming story or telling stories.
Historically, stories have been used to pass on knowledge from generation to generation.
Especially in India, For thousands of years, civilisations have adopted different storytelling techniques to define values, morals, dreams, desires, and to even teach clans on how to survive. In Ramayana, Mahabharata, Veda all are teaching style with a form of storytelling.
However, storytelling wasn’t originally formed by spoken language nor writings, but gestures and expressions — physical factors which we continue to use today.
Furthermore, storytelling engages a child with various emotion, expression & lots of other things. Great stories can create empathy in your learners. The science behind this is the neurochemical oxytocin. This means that our brains react with empathy, sympathy, compassion, care, and connection. We resonate emotionally to the story.
5. Give insights into universal life experiences
How many of you have incredible life experiences but has never got a chance to share it with anyone? let us know in the comments!
everybody has got some life experience in some form or other. for instance, the experience of travelling to some unknown cities, share a ride with someone, starting a new job or business, Chase your passion wholeheartedly, or a solo trip for that matter. all are a great experience to shares.
storytelling enables us to share this as well as take an insight into our own life experiences while sharing it with someone. what I did correct? what are my real values are? what am I capable of ? what I’m not so good at ? etc.
6. Help children consider new ideas
Story takes us to another world. whether its fiction, non-fiction, autobiography, biography, Sifi. same goes with the child. it creates a whole world for them to explore & envokes new ideas. sometimes it builds dreams for child & later on it become their reality. Billionaire entruepneure Elon mask got fascinated by many Si-Fi stories from books then builds space-X.
A good fascinating story is a pedestal of any big dream. who knows the story that you tell to your child might build your child next big dream & might have the potential to change this world.
7. Promote a feeling of well-being and relaxation
While you heard story what thought first to your mind? just relaxing &listening not doing anything. isn’t it? we need relaxation once in a while & story can be a great way to do so. story promote learning or processing information while lying on a couch or on a road trip.
8. Encourage use of imagination and creativity
How many times had you drawn a picture inside your head while listening to any story? every time probably! isn’t it so?
listening to a story & drawing the stories image secretly into your head is great fun. it helps to build imagination skill & encourages creativity.
9. Enhance listening skills
listening skill is one of the greatest skill that anyone should have in their portfolio in order to become successful. I’m not talking about listening for the sack of asking the next question, by listening we mean actual listening.try to understand the other person’s point of view.
If you’re the one talking, you’re not growing, because you are putting out what you already know. The only way for you to improve is to actively listen.
Really listening to someone else, is different from just hearing them. Always assume the person you’re talking to knows something you don’t.
Don’t get blinded by arrogance. It’s more important to grow than give the impression that you already know everything. That’s what differentiates the REAL from the PRETENDERS.
10. Encourage being a leader
A good leader must possess the power of communication and carry it out effectively & what can be a better way to do so than storytelling?
The people listening to him or her will not understand things in the same way and our brain is made up of layers and layers of ideas and preconceptions, therefore, At any time if a leader decides to teach us something through a story, all the reconciles of you can be brain move just a little bit and makes way for new learning.
How to introduce story to our child?
nowadays it’s very easy, with the help of many audio platforms like Spotify, audible, Ganna, apple podcast, SoundCloud, Storytell you can make them listen to so many stories. but we would rather push you to sit with your child & tell them stories. this will not only make memories but also build your relationship with your child.if you don’t have time, make time for this.
Here are some FAQs
First of all, you are telling story all the time. from the first time you spoke till today, you are just telling stories.
here is a blog post which has deliberated it perfectly how to tell a story. so we highly recommend you check this out.
but here are some basics of telling a story…
1. Start With A Hook.
2. Have A Point To The Story.
3. Choose The Right Time To Tell The Story.
4. Show, Don’t Tell.
5. Use Vivid Details, Not Lots Of Facts.
primarily there are 6 types of stories many says 7 but both are correct.
1.Rags to Riches
2.Comedy
3.Tragedy
4.Rebirth
5.The Quest
6.Voyage and Return
you might have watched movies like the matrix, the lion king, the dark knight (batman), harry potter, but never noticed how they are all similar. here is a hero’s journey step by step
1. The Ordinary World
2. The Call of Adventure
3. Refusal of the Call
4. Meeting the Mentor
5. Crossing the First Threshold
6. Tests, Allies, Enemies
7. Approach to the Inmost Cave
8. The Ordeal
9. Reward (Seizing the Sword)
10. The Road Back
11. Resurrection
12. Return with the Elixir
here are 5 steps.
1. The story is easy to follow for your chosen age-range not too little or too much.
2. The illustrations are high-quality and professional. It’s relatable to a wide range of children.
3. It can entertain adults at the same time.
4. it must have some good lessons to learn.
5. words must not be too mediocre that the story loose it feels.
The easy way it relates it with your own & visualizes it. if it’s not coming ar once try it twice.
ROALD DAHL has been named the greatest storyteller of all time
Now we have completed this article & we are sure you might give this a try. so tell us what would be your first story which are you gonna tell your child first? or if you want us to tell stories. let us know in the comments. until next time. bye & take care! see you soon.
