Storytelling Matters: Building Life Skills One Tale at a Time

Written by: Carly Fox

Storytelling is a natural medium through which we engage and connect with one another. Across every culture, people tell stories using common elements like characters, conflicts, actions, and resolutions. For children, storytelling is the first form of complex, unsupported discourse they engage in. Unlike standardized assessments, which often rely on culturally specific background knowledge, storytelling offers an equitable window into a child’s thinking and language skills because it draws on a universal human practice. We are steeped in stories from the moment we hear books read aloud or family members tell tales, and we naturally begin to tell our own. This simple, human activity is also one of the most powerful tools for learning.

At ThinkInk, we use storytelling as a familiar, engaging format to strengthen a wide range of skills including language, cognition, and social-emotional growth, helping children develop within a structure they already know and love.

1. Storytelling: A Proven Strategy for Enhancing Language and Literacy Skills

Storytelling builds essential language abilities, from expanding vocabulary to mastering sentence structure. Narrative proficiency, defined as the ability to understand and create stories, is also closely associated with a range of literacy and academic skills. Early storytelling skills predict later spoken language (Bishop & Edmundson, 1987; Murphy et al., 2016), reading comprehension (Catts et al., 2015; Griffin et al., 2004; Kendeou et al., 2009; Wellman et al., 2011), and writing achievement (Fey et al., 2004; Hall et al., 2021; Olinghouse & Leaird, 2009), which are critical to overall academic success. These skills are reflected across state English language arts standards, such as the Common Core State Standards (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers, 2010), which expect primary-grade students to recount stories, describe characters and settings, and explain how events unfold. Effective instructional approaches include teaching story macrostructure (e.g., characters, setting, plot events) and microstructure (e.g., grammar, sentence complexity) using tools such as story maps, graphic organizers, guided retellings, and explicit modeling (Foorman et al., 2016; Gillam et al., 2023; Shanahan et al., 2010). Such practices support comprehension and production of narratives in ways that connect to broader language and literacy outcomes.

Parent takeaway: Encourage children to “tell the story” of a daily event, a picture, or an imagined scenario. Listen for and celebrate new words, detailed descriptions, and clear sequencing.

2. Storytelling Fosters Cognitive, Emotional, and Social Development

Narrating events exercises working memory, attention, and reasoning skills, all of which underpin executive function (Duinmeijer et al., 2012). The development of narrative schemas, which are mental frameworks, help children organize information in working memory by linking events through causal and temporal relationships, making it easier to comprehend, retain, and communicate complex ideas (Stein & Glenn, 1979). Storytelling also fosters empathy by helping children consider perspectives different from their own, and builds emotional resilience through processing personal experiences (Bratitsis et al., 2015; Norbury & Bishop, 2003). In classroom settings, these skills are linked to stronger peer relationships and greater engagement in learning.

Parent takeaway: Invite stories that explore feelings and viewpoints, both real and imagined. Share your own stories to model perspective‑taking.

3. Childhood Storytelling Builds Skills for Lifelong Communication

Narrative competence developed in childhood remains a valuable communication tool well into adolescence and adulthood. In professional settings, storytelling fosters trust, empathy, and team cohesion, while also enhancing message retention and engagement (Brown et al., 2009; Ladegaard, 2017; Zak, 2015). Leaders who frame key messages in narrative form help colleagues connect emotionally to shared goals, improving collaboration and commitment (Denning, 2005). Beyond the workplace, storytelling skills also support personal identity development and empathy; adolescents and adults who construct coherent, meaningful life stories tend to report greater well-being and resilience when navigating major life transitions (McAdams & McLean, 2013).

Parent takeaway: Recognize storytelling as future‑focused skill building. Today’s “what happened at recess” can be tomorrow’s confident speech or persuasive presentation.

Why This Matters for Your Child

Storytelling grows the very skills kids need for school and life: language, attention, memory, creativity, empathy, and confidence. It’s free, portable, and fun—and the benefits compound with practice.

References

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