What is the practice?
Toddlers love to hear stories about themselves or other family members, which provides them many opportunities to learn to listen to and tell stories with the important people in their lives. These strategies help toddlers become active participants in the development, telling, and retelling of stories.
What does the practice look like?
When a toddler repeats a story heard from another person or a story she made up, this is repeated sto- rytelling. A toddler telling about what happened when playing with a friend or retelling the family “story” about last Christmas are both examples of repeated storytelling. Repeated storytelling expands a tod- dler’s knowledge of how events go together, the words she can use, and her enjoyment of this art form.
How do you do the practice?
There are many opportunities for participating in storytelling and repeated storytelling activities. These include riding in a car, during nap or sleep routines, waiting for your food to come at a restaurant, attending story times at the library, or just snuggling on the sofa.
How do you know the practice worked?
- Is your toddler telling more stories?
- Does your toddler seem to enjoy telling stories or helping you tell the story?
- Has your toddler tried to tell new stories on her own?
- Start by identifying topics that are interesting to your toddler. If your toddler is interested in trains or has a favorite pet, create a story about one of those interests. Your toddler is more likely to participate in the storytelling event if it concerns a topic of interest. Toddlers often like to hear stories about themselves (when they were born) or about their parents (when they were young).
- Find an appropriate time and place likely to encourage the toddler’s participation in storytelling. A place where you can hear each other easily is helpful. Though the attention span of a toddler is not long, it is helpful to have some time when there will be few interruptions.
- Start the story, but quickly encourage your child to add information. If this is a pretend story, ask your toddler to make up details (for example, “Describe what the dog looks like in our story”). If it is about a real person or event, ask her for some information she knows about the person or event.
- Retell the same story during different storytelling sessions. With each retelling, ask the toddler to supply more and more of the story until she is able to tell the story alone.
- If the child has trouble supplying information to develop or retell the story, provide two possible choices and let her decide how to continue with the story. (“Does the girl go to the zoo or the beach?”)
- Smiling and responding to your toddler’s efforts will keep her interested in the story.
Take a look at more storytelling activities
Storytelling Together
Ben loves to play with his big, blue, stuffed dog “Ralphie.” Ben’s dad has found he can delight his 2-year-old son by making up and telling him exciting stories about “The Adventures of Ben and Ralphie.” Dad always begins the stories by recalling things he knows Ben enjoys doing, like splashing in water. “One bright day, Ben and Ralphie put on their swimming suits and jumped into their pool,“ Dad says. Ben’s eyes light up, and Dad asks him what the friends would do in the water. Together they weave a story about water fun, with Ben giving Dad the details.
At the Library
Knowing that Daniela likes to listen to stories, her mom checks at the local library for the schedule of the next storytelling session appropriate for her 19-month-old daughter. Mom and Daniela sit together while the story is being told, and Mom encourages Daniela’s attention to the storyteller through her own interest and excitement. Daniela’s mom knows her daughter is enjoying the experience because she keeps looking at her while laughing and smiling at various parts of the story.
Photos Prompt Storytelling
Though Darius is almost 3 years old, he uses language more like an 18-month-old. Using a camera, Darius’s mom took pictures of him playing on riding toys with his older brother. She uses these pictures to help Darius tell a story. Mom asks Darius which picture he wants frst. After he hands her a photo, she begins the story, asking Darius questions like, “Who is in the picture?” to help him add details. Darius answers “Travon.” She asks “What is Travon doing?” Darius answers, “Riding bikes.” Mom moves through each picture quickly, getting information from Darius as she goes. She knows he enjoys this, because if he sees the pictures around the house he will bring them to her, and the storytelling starts again.
