Nurturing Your Little Storyteller || The Tranquil Parent

Nurturing your little storyteller

By Savannah happier

July 06, 2009

Photo by John-Morgan, shared via Flickr.

Does your young child enjoy making up elaborate tales about what did (or did not) happen? Do you ever find your toddler “reading” a book to himself, remembering words or making up his own? Do your kids want to hear the same family stories over and over and over?

Do you ever feel concerned that they are “living in a dreamland” or not learning to tell the “truth”?

The good news is: They are normal! Storytelling is a natural part of our human experience. Young children learn from connecting with us through storytelling, both from reading and verbally. And they don’t always know how to distinguish a “true” story from one that is “made up.”

When your children tell you stories, listen for the truth in their words, even when some of the story is not “true.” They are sharing with you their desires, experiences and interpretations. There is so much to learn from the way they playfully interact with the world!

As early human beings, it was our verbal abilities and storytelling (creating of culture) that distinguished us from other species. We told stories to create a sense of belonging, to define meaning and to preserve our shared values.

I recently read a lovely essay written by a mother who began reading to her daughter as a newborn. She was delighted to discover that this ritual of reading and re-reading stories gives her daughter the confidence to tell her own stories. "Her six-year-old voice transforms into a seasoned storyteller, intoning mystery, suspense, humor, even love, as she reads aloud," Leslie Constans wrote.

Who are the little storytellers in your home? Tell us about what you are doing to support them in learning this important skill.

Categories: bedtime, creativity, learning - letters, spelling, writing, myth and fantasy, poetry, pretend play, reading, storytelling, traditions, writing

3 comments | Comment on post

3 Comments

1. Charlotte [7/08/09]

We read to our 14-month old every day. She has her own shelf on a bookshelf in our living room and loves pulling the books off the shelf. She has a few “words”, so we can often hear her say “da” (dog) or “bow” (bird) as she pages through her books by herself.

2. Lynn [7/08/09]

I have the artist not the storyteller in my house. Since she was three a spiral bound sketch pad has been our constant companion and now close to forty of them sit on her bookshelf; a testement to her prolificacy and focus. True, the early pads may be more scribble than art but over the last seven years you can see a progression, her art changing and maturing.

Like most parents I think I worried that this passion would take away from other “normal” kid activities or even take away from her academics. However, now that she’s going into Jr. High and has years of honor roll and volleyball behind her we can see that being an artist grounds her and ensures that she’s “home” as long as she has a pencil. She is an artist and we’re so happy that she’s found something she loves at so early age!

3. Stacy (mama-om) [7/17/09]

We have two storytellers! My oldest (6) likes to make up stories, and he also does a lot of drawing (while telling himself the story of what he is drawing). Even my two year old gets in on it!

We have always read books and my husband and I have also told stories to the kids since they were very young… we’ve had our own casts of characters of various sorts for years. We do a collaborative type of storytelling, too, where we each can add to the story. I love it when this happens—when my son asks me for a story but then tells me what should happen or takes over for a bit. It is always a wonderful insight into what is going on for him.

Thank you for your post!