5 Incredible Benefits Of Storytelling For Kids
Storytelling for kids has innumerable benefits, but gone are the days when Grandpa at home used to narrate fairy tales and moral stories to kids. Grandpa had a vast collection of all kinds of stories right from Aesop’s fables to his own childhood experiences. He would make funny gestures and alter his facial expressions, thus entertaining and educating the kids in the most valuable manner.
However, now with the advent of nuclear families and working parents, storytelling seems to be an age-old tradition. Parents are occupied with mobile phones and work schedules, and children are busy with video games, animated cartoons and mobile apps.
We all are aware of the change and how our lives are busier now but wouldn’t it be a good idea to take a step back and understand the amazing benefits of storytelling for kids and how it can really help in their overall development? It is time we take some time off from our busy lives and dedicate it to storytelling for kids.
What is storytelling?
Storytelling is a simple activity in which you can share a story to your kid. You can read them from a nice book, or simply walk talk about your own experiences. Even if you spare 15 minutes from your life, it would work positively towards your child’s development. You can narrate, imitate the voices, act a bit and describe in detail, transporting the kid to a mesmerizing world of fiction.
Storytelling helps in creating and nurturing a child’s personality. It has been a part of our childhood lives and we should inculcate the same habit in our kids. No electronic device on this planet can connect parents and kids so well like the art of storytelling. Your child could be saved from the adverse effects of the technology and can be brought to the world of imagination.
Also read: 9 Must-Have Picture Books For Your Preschooler
Let us now understand the 5 incredible benefits of storytelling for kids.
#1. Inculcates significant values in kids
There are a number of characters and incidents in a story and each one of them conveys a message to the listener. Hence, through a beautiful story, you can pass on beautiful and meaningful messages to your kids. Simultaneously, stories can help you in instilling values in your children such as honesty, bravery, discipline, mindfulness, courage, politeness, respect to elders, and much more. Many of the stories are created on the theme of presence of mind. Thus, your child tends to know how to apply wisdom, knowledge and mind during a particular situation.
#2. Awakens the imaginative capabilities in kids
The best-selling author of The Harry Potter series, JK Rowling has rightly quoted, “Imagination is not only the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not, and therefore the fount of all invention and innovation.” When a parent narrates a story, the child visualizes it in his little mind, thus excelling in imagination.
Also read: 10 Best Bedtime Story Books for Toddlers
#3. Enhances Listening and Verbal Skills
Children tend to talk more, instead of listening to others. Though they are brilliant, they face several issues in concentration on something for a long span of time. If you are narrating an interesting story to them, they become attentive and curious to know what happens next in the story.
In addition to listening skills, kids can also enhance their verbal proficiency by listening to stories. When they listen to a story, they learn new words, idioms and phrases and sentence structures. They grasp how a certain word needs to be pronounced and applied in a particular context.
#4. Learns how to cope up with critical situations in life
Storytelling is an effective tool in explaining the joys, happiness, pain and difficulties of life. Kids are often confused how to deal with a particular situation, how to react and respond when they face a certain type of problem. If right kind of stories are shared with them, they gain the required wisdom to live a fulfilled life amidst all its odds.
Also read: 5 Books To Read During Pregnancy.
#5. Storytelling for kids sharpen’s their memory
Yes, it is surprising but storytelling not only helps in elevating the imaginative power of kids but also helps in sharpening their memory. You don’t have to repeat the story. You can ask them to repeat in their own words, analysing how well they remember and absorb. A parent can even ask questions as to what the kid feels about a particular character, plot or a situation. Thus, you are sharpening the memory of your kid in a fun and intriguing manner, without much of a hassle.
Thus, storytelling is a mind-broadening tool that can help your kid in academics as well as in personal life. Always choose a right story with good moral values to instill them in your kid. Select a proper timing and comfortable place to narrate the story along with suitable gestures and expressions. It is an art, so you can always improvise it. Try to make it a two-way communication by getting your kid involved in the storytelling activity.
The bottom line of storytelling for kids:
You would definitely experience the incredible benefits of storytelling for kids when you effectively incorporate this activity into their regimen. Let us continue the deep-rooted tradition and make it a part of our lives.
Also read: 10 Best Bedtime Story Books for Babies
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