As a child, I lay next to my mom, my fingers absently twisting her hair around my fingers. “Tell me a story,” I said. While she talked, I felt my vision blur as the room disappeared. Tall pines popped up around me and a noise caught my attention. Something in the leaves, beyond that log. “What is it?” I murmured. A rustling, and then a penguin waddled up to my knees. “Is he lost, Mom?”
I’d entered a new world and it captivated me. My mom admitted she cringed when I begged too much for her to “tell me a story!” But I loved her storytelling and the time I spent with her. Storytelling is a gift you can give your child and you don’t have to be particularly talented to make it happen. You just need time to try. Here are 7 reasons telling stories to kids is great for them.
1. Stories deepen your child’s roots.
“Your great-great grandfather was Jack the cobbler. He worked hard at his job and people knew they could come to him for his quality workmanship.” Fascinated, I listened as my mom talked. Learning about this man gave me a sense of pride and connection to my family. It also added to my identity. My ancestor mended shoes! Hearing stories helps kids feel connected to their roots. Learning about the challenges our ancestors faced can also give kids the strength to persevere through tough times.
Learning about the challenges our ancestors faced can give kids the strength to persevere through tough times. Click To Tweet2. Stories prepare them for different situations.
“Once, I was at the park, and a man I didn’t know came up to me,” my mom said. Right away, I was riveted. What did she do? She told me the story and subtly slipped in practical advice in case something like that ever happened to me.
3. Stories calm fears.
The lights flickered out and the house went dark. My mom pulled my sister and me onto her lap and we huddled together, listening to the howl of the wind. “Once upon a time,” she began. Almost immediately, the tension left my body as I relaxed into my mom’s chest. The thunderstorm outside disappeared and I became lost in my mom’s story.
4. Stories build character.
Telling stories to kids helps us teach them our values too. Many of us can retell stories we’ve heard such as ones from the Bible. I’ve told the story of David and Goliath to my kids more than once and described the strength and bravery of David.
5. Stories can teach lessons.
According to licensed counselor Allison Edwards, “Kids love stories and learn better through hearing stories than they do much else. Stories allow kids to learn about other kids, thus learning about themselves.” If your child is worried about something, try a story to make him feel less alone in his anxiety: “You wouldn’t believe who also worried a lot as a kid.”
6. Stories draw you closer.
My mom read countless books to me as a child, but the storytelling is what I remember most all these years later. When one of our senses, such as sight, isn’t being used, the other senses are heightened. Because storytelling doesn’t require vision, my senses of hearing and touch were on high alert. Twirling my mom’s hair and cuddling up in her warm lap are the details I vividly remember.
7. Stories can make anything more fun.
To entertain my kids when they were little, I told them stories as we sat in waiting rooms and when we got stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Sometimes you forget the toys for the back seat or the snacks during the long drive and a good distraction is what you need. Why not a story? Not only is telling stories to kids good for their brains and language skills, but it’s fun and might just make the time fly.
How can you make telling stories to kids fun for you both?
