One of the best ways to help your child develop language and reading skills is to tell stories. But those aren’t the only reasons to nurture a storytelling tradition in your home.
Young or old, we’re all inspired and entertained by stories. We intuit valuable life lessons from the tales handed down from one generation to the next. The family lore that parents, grandparents and other relatives pass down become interwoven into our own life stories.
Unlike lectures, stories compel us to listen. We develop compassion for others and learn important family values. We gain respect and admiration for the generations who came before, who blazed trails and faced unimaginable hardship. Studies, in fact, find that children who are part of a storytelling tradition are more confident, have higher self-esteem and have a stronger understanding of who they are in the world.
With the holidays steadily marching closer, there will be plenty of opportunities to tell and listen to stories as families come together.
Here are just a few ways to begin nurturing a storytelling tradition in your family:
- Share your heritage. Cook the foods you grew up with that were part of family celebrations or that represent your family’s culture. If you didn’t grow up eating the traditional foods of your ancestors, borrow an ethnic cookbook from the library and together with your kids, try making a recipe or two.
- Breathe life into old photos. Weave old photos into your family decor to invite questions and discussion. Look through photo albums together and share what you know about different family members. If you have them, read old letters and postcards. Do a little historical digging by checking out books or going online to learn more about the time period you’re discussing. Talk about what life was like when your ancestor was alive.
- This reminds me of the time… Kids love hearing stories from your past, especially your funny and harrowing antics. Tell them about your first job as a teenager, your first dance, challenges in school or sports, what your best friend was like and your childhood adventures. Also encourage your kids to ask grandparents and other relatives questions about their lives as children or young adults.
- Tell your child her birth story. Every child wants to hear the story of the day he or she arrived into your loving arms. Look at baby pictures together. Kids love to hear how you and your spouse chose their names. What foods did you crave? What excited you most about their impending arrival? How did their older sibling(s) feel? What was it like bringing him home from the hospital?
What are your family storytelling traditions?
