Why is story telling important for children ?

What is story telling ?

Storytelling is the interactive art of using words and actions to reveal the elements and images of a story while encouraging the listener's imagination. It is an ancient art that extends around the globe.

It  can be used as a method to teach ethics, values and cultural norms and differences. 

History of story telling :

Storytelling predates writing. The earliest forms of storytelling were usually oral combined with gestures and expressions. Some stories have lasted hundreds and thousands of years and are still being told.We are surrounded by stories everyday, be it in the form of news, movie, song, etc.

Storytelling describes the social and cultural activity of sharing stories, sometimes with improvisation, theatrics, or embellishment. Every culture has its own stories or narratives, which are shared as a means of entertainment, education, cultural preservation or instilling moral values. Reading to a child can increase their willingness to express themselves and communicate their thoughts and feelings. 

Benefits of story telling :

1. Improves Language Skills:

When babies and toddlers listen to stories, they get the chance to listen to lots of words in a unique way, which helps to expand their vocabulary.

2 Improves listening skills :

Telling stories helps children to improve their listening skills. When a story is narrated to a child , he concentrates and listens to what the story teller is saying.

3. Boosts Memory:

It helps to improve memory especially when the images are present while story telling a story. The child has to remember the facts ,which in turn boosts the memory.

4. Builds Curiosity :

It builds curiosity in a child's mind when you pause while narrating the story. He becomes eager to know what will happen next which helps in the over all brain development of the child.

5. Improves cognitive skills:

Storytelling forces children to think and imagine out of the box which improves the cognitive skills of a child.

6. Makes them empathetic :

Stories can teach a child to be sensitive towards others by being in their place.

7. Makes your imagination grow :

Stories help children to imagine a lot of scenarios which are not common in their day to day lives.The children can imagine a fantasy land or dream of a jungle full of chocolates !

8. Inculcates good morals and ethics in children :

There are a lot of stories which teach children to be honest, kind, punctual, respect their elders.

9. Improves Communication:

A lot of times, children hesitate to ask questions. By telling stories we give a platform to children not hesitate and ask a lot of questions, which improves communication skills.

10. Helps in facing a difficult situation:

There are a lot of stories where the main character has to face a lot of difficulties to reach a certain goal. These stories become great examples for children in their day to day lives to overcome difficult situations.

11.Enhances cultural understanding:

By telling stories, children get introduced to a lot of new cities, countries and people which helps them to understand various traditions, values and experiences.

12. Improves relationship :

The special time that you spend with your child helps in improving your bond with your child and builds a strong relationship.

 Methods of story telling coming up in the next post. Stay Tuned !

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