The Power of Storytelling in Child Development
How does storytelling support child development?
Storytelling gives children opportunities to hear and use language, explore feelings, follow events, and imagine possibilities. When adults read, listen, and respond with them, stories also create time for conversation and connection.
Some of the most meaningful conversations I shared with my children began with a story.
There were books read at bedtime, stories shared on the couch, and favourites requested again because someone wanted to hear that particular adventure once more.
As a parent, and now a Nana, I value those moments for more than the words on the page. A story can give us something to wonder about together. It can introduce a question a child has not yet thought to ask or offer a character whose feelings seem familiar.
The experience does not have to be elaborate. Often, it begins with making time to listen.
The Role of Storytelling in Child Development
Storytelling includes reading books, sharing memories, retelling familiar tales, and inventing adventures.
Each offers different ways for children to participate.
A young child might point to an illustration or join in with a repeated phrase. Another might predict what happens next, describe a character’s problem, or tell a story of their own.
The Public Health Agency of Canada’s guidance on encouraging literacy describes how shared reading introduces children to language, ideas, emotions, and experiences while strengthening time together. www.canada.ca
These opportunities grow through interaction. The adult’s attention and the child’s response are part of the experience.
Stories Introduce Words With Meaning Around Them
A story gives words a situation.
A character might whisper because someone is sleeping, stumble over a root, or feel relieved when a missing friend returns.
Children can hear the word alongside the action, illustration, or tone of voice that helps explain it.
If a word catches their attention, pause briefly:
“Relieved means that worried feeling has eased. The character knows their friend is safe now.”
Then continue with the story.
You do not need to explain every unfamiliar word. Follow the child’s questions and choose moments that support understanding without interrupting the flow too often.
Stories Make Feelings Available for Conversation
Children may find it easier to talk about a character’s experience than their own.
They can notice that someone is disappointed, worried, excited, or unsure. An illustration or a character’s choice may give you a natural opening.
Try asking:
“What do you think they need right now?”
The American Academy of Pediatrics explains that reading together about feelings can help children recognize emotions and consider how others may feel. Its books about feelings and resilience guide offers examples for families. www.healthychildren.org
Let the conversation remain gentle. A child does not have to explain a personal experience just because a story touches on it.
Sometimes discussing the character is enough.
Following a Story Gives Children Things to Think About
A story asks us to keep track of people, places, actions, and consequences.
Children can practise putting events in order when they explain what happened first, what changed, and how the story ended.
They can also explore connections:
- Why did the character make that choice?
- What happened because of it?
- What might they try next?
Choose a question when it fits the moment. You can offer your own thought, too:
“I remembered the key from the beginning. I wondered whether it would open that door.”
This shows how a reader connects details without making the child responsible for answering a series of questions.
Imagination Lets Children Explore Possibilities
A familiar story can become the beginning of something new.
A child might invent another character, change the setting, or wonder what happens after the ending.
Invite them to respond in a way they enjoy. They could draw a scene, build a setting, act out a moment, or describe an idea aloud.
You might ask:
“What would change if this adventure happened in our garden?”
Leave room for an unexpected answer.
The aim is to offer an opportunity to create, rather than require a particular result. Some days the child will want to invent. Other days they may simply want to hear the story again.
Characters Can Open Questions About Courage and Choices
Stories often include uncertainty, mistakes, and decisions.
A character might ask for help, try again, apologize, or discover that their first idea does not work.
These moments offer possibilities to discuss without expecting children to copy every character’s response.
In The Storm That Wasn’t, the cousins respond to a storm warning through questions, preparation, and teamwork.
You could explore what information helped them or how they supported one another.
A story provides the starting point. The child’s observations—and the conversation you share—give it a personal connection.
Shared Stories Become Part of Family Life
Some books become familiar companions.
Children remember a funny voice, an illustration they always point to, or the person who reads with them. Family stories can add another kind of connection, introducing people and experiences from before the child was born.
You can share a small, true memory without turning it into a formal lesson.
Perhaps it is a childhood game, a favourite place, or something a grandparent used to say.
Let the child ask questions. Be honest when you do not remember a detail.
These exchanges make room for listening across generations.
Make Storytelling Manageable
Choose an approach that fits the child and the day.
| A simple invitation | A way to participate |
|---|---|
| Read a favourite page | Join in with a familiar phrase |
| Share a family memory | Ask one question about it |
| Revisit a character’s problem | Suggest another possible response |
| Look closely at an illustration | Describe something previously unnoticed |
| Begin an imaginary adventure | Take turns adding ideas |
You do not need to do everything at once.
Keep the book or activity accessible, follow the child’s interest, and allow a pause when they have had enough.
Enjoyable shared reading can sit alongside the teaching and support a child needs to develop independent reading skills.
Invite Them to Become the Storyteller
When a child wants an idea of their own, try the Story Starter Generator in the Imagination & Story Growing Room.
Explore a prompt together, then let them decide how to respond. They can tell, draw, build, act, or write their adventure.
👉 Try the Story Starter Generator
For a printable starting point, explore My Story Starter Adventure.
You can also browse children’s books and storybuilding resources from The Story House, including The Imagination Series with Sly.
A Gentle Reflection
Think about a story you remember from childhood.
What stayed with you—the adventure, a character, a feeling, or someone’s familiar voice?
We cannot predict which moments children will carry forward.
We can make room for stories, listen to their responses, and welcome the questions they bring.
Final Thoughts
The power of storytelling in child development lies in the opportunities it creates: language to explore, feelings to discuss, events to connect, and possibilities to imagine.
Shared stories also give adults and children something valuable to do together.
Read a little. Listen carefully. Let a question lead somewhere unexpected.
A familiar book can still have something new to offer.
Debbie Blower 💛
Author/Illustrator
Founder of The Story House
Stories that inspire. Words that heal.
