Storytelling is something that’s integral to our development as we grow up. Humans have been telling each other stories for thousands of years, both via the spoken and written word, and we’ve all grown up consuming stories that have fed our imaginations like nothing else.
We can lose hours to an imaginary world that’s been lifted straight from the page, and what we see in our head when we read is so much more vibrant and colourful than a TV show or movie could ever be!
And the same is true for your child as well. Storytelling is one of the most constructive ways to introduce your child to the world around them; it’s one of the best forms of showing, not telling.
Whether they’re reading a book on their own, or you’re curled up and going through a book together, storytelling is the number one way to help your child lay the foundation for a rich and exciting imagination. And why is this important? Simply because such a strong imagination has a lot of benefits!
But what are the benefits?
Helping your child to relax
If a child has something positive and creative and fun to think about, they’re going to be a lot more relaxed and carefree. This is especially true for the nighttime. According to the Sleep Foundation, nearly 50% of children between the ages of 3 and 6 experience a high level of nightmares.
It’s why the art of bedtime storytelling is always strongly encouraged, and why you get through so many books per month! If you need a new bedtime story for your child, Ducklings has plenty of bedtime story recommendations to keep your child’s imagination fed for hours on end.
But the relaxing nature of storytelling can work in the daytime as well. Whether they’re attending nursery, or an activity club, or they’re just at home with you, your child’s imagination can become their best friend. It’s an endless treasure trove of stories they have total control over, and as little people who follow a schedule set by the adults around them, this is imperative to helping them to stay calm.
Encouraging their confidence
Children who engage with their imagination on a consistent level tend to be better readers, simply because they’re encouraged to interact with stories! It’s a very positive feedback loop: children want to feed their imagination, which leads to reading more books, which leads to a higher reading level, which helps them to develop a much stronger sense of self, which feeds into their confidence at a young age, and then the cycle starts all over again.
Similarly, a rich and wide imagination helps your child to ask questions. It helps them to learn more about how things work, simply because they have the necessary tools to think about it. They’re able to identify different angles that others may not and approach educational tasks and activities more constructively. Knowledge is often the cornerstone of confidence, and with a developed imagination on their side, your child will have no problem learning from the world around them.
Developing a sense of playfulness
Reading does the mind good. Stories give your child the resources to also create and tell stories of their own, which is the basis of developing the way they think. It allows them to become more creative and a lot more playful with how they interact with the world around them, and one good story can stay on your child’s mind for months on end!
And having a more playful sense of self is important. Being playful is a child’s prerogative! You don’t want your child to grow up too fast, and you want them to enjoy their childhood whilst they can, and that means allowing them to mess around and have fun. And this in turn has a lot more benefits:
Being playful helps a child connect with those around them, whether they be caretakers or other children. It helps them to cope with their emotions; Due to approaching them in a comedic manner.. Most of all, it helps them to deal with any struggles they come across in their young life; they don’t have much experience, but their playful imagination can give them what they need to overcome difficulties. As a parent, that’s all you’ve ever wanted for your child!
Does your child love a story?
Let us know! Storytelling is one of the best forms of enrichment for children of developing age. They’re going to love hearing or reading a story, and they’ll love telling you stories of their own, which is always a lovely sight to see. So let them have fun with their imagination, and help them to develop it with a good book or two!