"Once upon a time..." These words that often transport us into the world of fairy tales and fantasy. But the magic of storytelling extends far beyond entertaining our little ones. Storytelling plays a significant role in developing early literacy skills and improving language comprehension in toddlers and preschoolers. As parents, you are your child's first teacher, and storytelling is a powerful tool you can use to fuel their growth. Let’s dive in and explore how you can use the summer to promote early literacy while having fun with your kiddo. 

Early Literacy: More Than Just Reading

Early literacy doesn't merely mean reading books. It refers to all activities that help children understand how language works, an essential precursor to reading. These activities encompass various skills, such as recognizing letters and their sounds, understanding narrative structure, and making connections between print and meaning.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) emphasizes the importance of reading aloud to children from infancy, citing benefits such as improved language skills and more robust parent-child relationships. They even go as far as to consider reading aloud as an "essential component of pediatric primary care." 

Your child learns from watching and listening to you, referred to as “modeling." If you comment out loud as you notice letters and words written in the world or on a sign, your child’s interest will be sparked. This can sound as simple as “Wow! I noticed this ‘Target’ sign starts with a ‘T’” (and make the /t/ sound). 

Storytelling: Fostering Connection and Understanding

Engaging your child in storytelling not only enhances their vocabulary and understanding of language structure, but also cultivates empathy. When children hear stories about characters facing different situations, they develop an understanding of emotions and learn to empathize. They begin to identify with the feelings and experiences of others, a skill that plays an essential role in their social and emotional development.

Stories can also help children make sense of the world around them. They serve as a way for children to process new information and understand complex ideas. This allows children to gain a better understanding of the people and world around them, fostering greater tolerance and understanding.

Beyond Books: The Many Forms of Storytelling

Storytelling can take many forms—it doesn't always have to be from a book. Telling family stories, using props and puppets, or even making up tales together can be incredibly beneficial. In fact, research from Emory University suggests that children who know a lot about their family history, delivered through storytelling, have higher self-esteem, a stronger sense of control over their lives, and fewer behavioral problems.

Moreover, creating stories together with your children can foster creativity and problem-solving skills. When they come up with plot twists and solutions for their characters' problems, they exercise cognitive skills in a fun and engaging way.

Incorporating Storytelling in Daily Routines

You can incorporate storytelling into daily routines to make it more accessible and natural. For example, try telling a story during bath time or invent a tale based on a picture in a book. You can also relate the day's events in the form of a narrative at bedtime. This not only strengthens literacy skills, but also creates a rich tradition of shared narratives and experiences that can strengthen the bond between you and your child.

Storytelling is a beautiful way of fostering a love for language, creating lasting memories, and forming a solid foundation for your child's literacy development. So go ahead and start this enchanting journey with your little ones—after all, every day holds a new story to tell!

Remember these creative moments by snapping a photo and journaling through text or the Qeepsake app. The more you journal, the more is remembered forever in a Qeepsake Book!