'Storytelling is the most powerful way to put ideas into the world’

- Robert McKee

‍

“Once upon a time…” - these four words work like magic for the listener, young or old, builds his expectations, piques his interest, and get him hooked instantaneously.

Children are like sponges, absorbing everything around them. Stories have proven to be an efficient mechanism to channelize their minds in the right direction and help them retain information.

The art of storytelling has been used in learning for centuries, at times, even unknowingly and unintentionally. Good stories have made their mark in the minds of listeners and when used as a tool for education, they have been very effective making learning a pleasurable and memorable experience.

Why Is Storytelling Important?

1. Improves Vocabulary:

“Without grammar, very little can be conveyed but without vocabulary, nothing can be conveyed.”

- David Wilkins

Studies have shown that children can build vocabulary, use more complex sentences, and improve comprehension when frequently exposed to stories. Stories help children develop their vocabulary by making connections between known and unknown words. Certain patterns and vocabulary items are frequently repeated in stories, thereby naturally allows children to grasp them and understand their usage.

2. Formulates Creative Thinking:

Stories communicate culture, history, and values in beautiful, meaningful ways that are easy to grasp and follow. Storytelling brings a sense of wonder, of mystery, of imagination to the table transporting children to a wonderland. When exposed to storytelling at an early age, stories inspire ideas, influence character, and inform, to develop a child's thinking.

3. Facilitates Learning :

'If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten'

- Rudyard Kipling

Storytelling helps with learning because stories are easy to remember and have a more meaningful and deeper impact. Studies show that learning which stems from a well-told story is remembered more accurately, and for far longer, than learning derived from facts and figures. Children learn about different cultures, people, and places, thus, opening new horizons for them.

Further bolstering the advantages of storytelling, research has shown that these three hormones are elevated by storytelling - dopamine, oxytocin, and endorphins.

1. Dopamine: Dopamine enhances focus, motivates the child, and aids memorization.
2. Oxytocin: Oxytocin promotes empathy, generosity enabling early, prosocial behavior in a child.
3. Endorphin: Endorphin soothes and comforts a child, driving his/her blues away and puts the child in a relaxed environment.

To summarize, stories are effective as learning mechanisms because they are believable, rememberable, and exciting. The believability stems from the fact that stories deal with human-like experiences. Stories make information more rememberable because they involve us in the development of the characters. Stories are exciting as they keep the listeners hooked transporting them to the character’s world.

"Storytellers and educators at Pudle work with joy to find such inspiring stories to make sure kids and our future generations keep dreaming high and aiming even higher. Explore here the amazing story packs these educators have diligently designed. See you soon in one of the sessions!"

‍