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).
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The Benefits of Children Acting as Storytellers
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).
- 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).
- 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 children’s 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).
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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).
- Children’s 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, 2000).
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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).
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