CHILDREN AS STORY TELLERS

IF WE WANT OUR CHILDREN TO BE

SUCCESSFUL STORY TELLERS, THEN,
WE AS TEACHERS, MUST BE GREAT
TOO IN TELLING CHILDRENS
STORIES

AGREE?
The Benefits of Using
Storytelling with Children
The tradition of storytelling with children is not limited to
entertainment but has also been shown to be an important
component of literacy skill development. Research consistently
supports the positive impact when teachers and librarians use
storytelling to increase childhood literacy skills. Children who are
part of storytelling activities are more prepared for reading and
writing (Snowden, 1995); general language skills increase
(Jackson, 1995); their vocabulary and word comprehension is
enhanced (Trostle and Hicks, 1998); they are likely to improve
knowledge in both broad and specific topics (Zipes, 1995); and,
their creativity, imagination and memory are expanded (National
Council of Teachers of English, 1997).
Benefits of children becoming story
tellers
What about when the children themselves
are the storytellers? Are there similar
benefits to literacy development? Studies
suggest that there are positive effects in
intellectual, social and emotional
development of children who are
encouraged to use storytelling (Mallan,
1991).
Intellectual:

Storytelling increases the development of bilingual/multilingual skills

(Ludo and Stromqvist, 2001).
Storytelling/retelling of stories is a successful strategy to increase
pragmatic oral skills, the ability to use language in specific contexts for
specific purposes, leading to greater ability to write (Brice, 2004).
The storyteller learns to work not only with the language of the story but
also with its structure and how to adapt their work based on the
response of their audience (Sima and Cordi, 2003).
Oral practice through storytelling increases speech and communication
skills related to enunciation and articulation (Harriott and Martin, 2004).
Intellectual:

Storytelling and general speaking exercises improve

critical reading skills in content areas (Groce, 2004).
Storytelling is a means for enriching the detail of writing.
It assists with learning the patterns of text (Kaufman,
1997).
Storytelling is an excellent vehicle for relaying
information and making it more memorable for both the
teller and the audience. It can increase the confidence of
the child who has difficulty in reading and make them
more likely to try to read or write or even to read aloud
(Kaufman, 1997).
Intellectual:

Storytelling helps develop the imagination which in turn

builds on problem solving competencies (Mallan, 1991).
As children engage in storytelling they learn to listen, to
participate in and understand narrative discourse and
create a path to more sophisticated use of language,
reading and writing in their every day lives (Mallan, 1991).
When childrens stories are turned into mathematical word
problems; it strengthens their ability to think creatively
about mathematic operations while developing language
skills (LoCicero et al, 1999).
Social:

Telling or retelling folk tales helps children who have mild disabilities
acquire and generalize social skills development to be more successful in
mainstream classroom (Forgan and Gonzalez-DeHass, 2004).
Storytelling practice also enhances social competencies and develops the
classroom community which reduces social rejection of students who are
different (Harriott and Martin, 2004).
Childrens use of story is an effective instrument for teachers/adults to
learn more about the child. What story they choose and how they choose
to tell the story are indicative of what a child thinks and feels, expressed
uniquely during a particular time period. The process of selecting,
practicing and telling stories is a way for children to explore themselves
and relationships between people (Kaufman, 1997).
Children with a cultural experience with storytelling have a greater
understanding of beliefs and mental states (Curenton, Nelson and Lillard,
Emotional:

Stories and storytelling help to develop positive character

traits in children by promoting a sense of shared experiences
and emotions related to the characters and challenges dealt
with in the stories (Jalongo, 2004).
Storytelling allows the child to act out the fears and
understandings that are not easily expressed in day to day
routine (Kaufman, 1997).
Storytelling by children bridges home and school and brings
cultural awareness into the classroom (LoCicero et al, 1999).
Children use storytelling to successfully resolve traumatic
experiences and the resultant anxiety (Geist, 2003).