Childhood is so special to all of us. When we go back to our childhood, we remember how we used to play with our cousins, run here and there, request that extra sweet from our parents, and go to our grandmother to listen to some beautiful and loveable stories. Stories are always near to our hearts since they teach us so many values and take us to our world of imaginations where there are no worries and no studies. In this screen age where kids are so busy watching screens, listening to stories helps them relax and connect with their inner self. Stories not only entertain us, but they also help us develop many other skills.

The Advantages of Storytelling

Creates new vocabulary

Listening to stories not only fascinates us, but it also helps us come across new words that we might not know. It helps kids develop their language skills and frame sentences using various words in them. Every night I read one story to my kid, and I know he is developing his language skills when he asks the meaning of various words in it.

Effective listeners

Stories can mould kids to be good listeners. Yes, when it is a question of a toddler, it becomes hard to make them sit in a place and listen to something. Using various props can help grab their attention and listen attentively to a story. It is very important to tell stories to infants daily so that their verbal skills can be polished and developed. 

Interacting with others

Nowadays, there are a lot of stories available with video on the internet. Children are attracted to it as it has lots of animation and colour in it. Some parents think if children are watching the stories, their skills are being developed. But reality is different. Children imagine what is shown to them through these videos, but they don’t have their own imagination. More over, it’s only a one-way communication, whereas if they listen to somebody telling stories, they can also interact with them to ask questions and find meanings for different things. They also develop their own imagining skills rather than accepting others’ imaginations by watching videos and T.V.

Thought provoking

Stories help kids develop their own thoughts. Being Indian, we have many festivals which we celebrate, and every festival has its own story. Telling such stories helps kids to understand their culture better and also helps them to think about it. Knowing our own culture and language is as important as developing an all-round child. Stories help them to develop more than one language at a time, hence they are able to speak both in their mother tongue as well as other foreign languages like English.

Questioning skills

As story telling is said to be something interactive, kids keep asking questions. Asking questions develops a questioning habit in them to know more and to clearly understand what is being told. Some kids hesitate to ask questions even if they don’t understand something. Telling stories right from their childhood and encouraging them to ask questions can help them to understand various concepts when they grow up.

develops their emotions and feelings

Telling stories can help develop feelings and emotions in them. Moral values are also developed by listening to stories. But nowadays, kids are more busy watching TV and videos, which hampers their growth and development of many skills. Hence, make story telling a routine and help them get connected with their inner world.