Why Storytelling Is Important For Your Child

Most of us have either grown up in joint families or in comparatively larger families, where the number of family members was more. In all our growing up years, I have seen my relatives visiting us every now and then. With those visits, came a lot of stories. Bua(Father’s Sister) used to tell the story of dogs, cats and different animals. Mausi(Mom’s Sister) used to tell about Alibaba. In short, every mouth used to tell the story of a different genre and taste.

Nowadays we come across families which are either nuclear or small in size. Buas and Mausis along with other relatives are staying far away. The visits have reduced to once or twice a year. With all this change in family structure, the kids are interacting most of the times with their parents, teachers and friends. So, in all this scenario, they are missing out on the interesting story sessions.

No doubt, as a parent, we have a tremendous amount of pressure on us. There are a lot of complexities related to nuclear families and long working hours. In all this, we have very less time left for our families and personal work.

If you ask me, why? I have a never-ending list ready for you.

Storytelling plays an important and crucial role in the overall development of a child. It helps in inculcating a child with intelligence, wisdom and emotional growth. Children get to know about the culture with which they belong. It fills them with curiosity and urges to know more. They can link stories with real-life experiences and act accordingly. It makes them socially and emotionally sensitive.

Let me share one incident with you from my personal experience. My younger son is two years old and I have the habit of telling stories to him since he was 2-3 months old. Since that time he is very fond of the story about “Greedy Dog”. I am sure back then he didn’t understand a word but he learnt how to lie down patiently and listen. So this habit has become so integral part of his schedule that every night before sleeping he asks me to tell him a story about the “doggie”. In addition to that in between, he continues the story by himself and responds by making relevant noises like a barking dog. Nowadays, whenever he listens to a barking or weeping dog, he tells me, “Mamma, doggie, Roti dedo”, which means mom give Roti to the dog as he is crying/barking with hunger. It amazes me how a two-year-old can interpret things happening around him and express himself so well.

So, if you are not doing it already, start with it now, how?

Never miss real stories from India's women.

Register Now

Storytelling is not any difficult rocket science. It is as simple as talking to someone. However, what you need to look after is the content you are delivering. If you don’t have any books, it’s alright. You can share your life experiences. Your experiences can teach a lot of things to your children. Along with this, the child feels connected as they get to know about the childhood of their parents, which makes them more secure and comfortable.

Storytelling is definitely a wonderful tool for kids to improve their patience as well as their listening and verbal abilities. It broadens their horizons and imagination. They are always game for new experiences.

Few points you should remember if you are new to it:

• Make sure that the story should not be too long or too short.
• Try to involve the child with you like, “Do you know, how a dog barks?”
• Make full use of your hands and facial expressions.
• Ensure you are using a loud and clear voice with control over the pace of the story.
• Any time which suits you and your child is the best time for it.

Do not let your children miss out on this simple but important childhood memory. Instead of cartoons on T.V and games on phones, give them the gift of storytelling which they will remember and cherish for their entire life. Let’s start it today.

Happy Storytelling. Don’t forget to share your interesting stories and techniques with me.

Image via Pixabay

Comments