Storytelling
Children have an interest in storytelling if they enjoy telling stories or listening to other people's stories. Storytelling excites children's imaginations and emotions. It helps them think and reflect.
Stories are much more than books at group time. They can be told orally, communicated through gestures and movement, written down, or told through forms of art.
The Victorian Government explains how early childhood educators can create the magic of storytelling:
"When children engage with stories, in either written or spoken form, the ‘magic’ (or literary response) comes from the interaction between the spoken word (text), additional media (e.g. props, costumes, sound effects), the storyteller and the audience."
The benefits of storytelling
The benefits of storytelling include:
- communication skills
- language development
- self-expression.
EYLF learning outcomes
Storytelling aligns with the Early Years Learning Framework as it:
- sparks curiosity, creativity, enthusiasm and imagination (4.1)
- involves transfering and adapting learning from one context to another (4.3)
- teaches effective communication (5)
- involves texts (5.2)
- supports children to express their ideas and make meaning (5.3)
- gives children an understanding of symbols and pattern systems (5.4).
Learning experiences
Recreate a story
Children can recreate a well-known story using puppets and or felt boards. If you don't have them already, make them with your children. What do the characters and scenes in the story look like?