Storytelling and Story Acting
Storytelling is a fundamental human endeavor. We tell stories to share information, impart lessons and keep loved ones informed about our days. Teachers take advantage of children’s love of hearing and desire to tell stories. They use storytelling to promote children’s cognitive and literacy development; storytelling provides a critical bridge between the oral language of early childhood and the more mature language of reading and writing.
Story acting brings children’s ideas to the group. It gives a compelling reason for children’s storytelling, celebrates children’s ideas and provides an opportunity for the class to create meaning around a text of great interest.
At the heart of storytelling and story acting is listening — adults listening to children, children listening to their classmates, and children listening to adults — all in service of better understanding each other’s ideas and enjoying each others’ stories. Learn more in the video above and the resources below.
