Why story telling is so important
The art of storytelling has been happening since humans were able to talk. It was the way our ancestors learned about the world around them and passed on their knowledge and wisdom to the next generation.
Storytelling also helps bring language learning alive. It creates the opportunity for young learners to participate and immerse themselves in the awareness of the rhythm and structure of our language. It improves their concentration and memory skills.
How stories can help make meaning of the world around us
Experiencing new environments and new skills can be very daunting for a toddler. Books and storytelling can be a great way to introduce children to real-life situations like going to the swimming pool or visiting the dentist. They give you the chance to chat with your toddler about what might happen to help them be prepared for the real thing.
Storytelling in the swimming pool
We believe at Mini Water Adventurers creating themed lessons are a great way to spark the imagination of both you and the child to tell stories whilst swimming. Children can be shown far-flung places, make-believe characters and magical situations during a lesson. Have a look at our themed lesson on emotions which is perfect for supporting Mental Health Awareness week.
Research has shown that brain activity which occurs when a fictional story is being told is very similar to experiencing the situation in real life, so by sharing a story with a meaning helps children to work things out in reality.
Why start at the pool? Why not include the bath too?
I would often tell stories to my daughter whilst she was in the bath, using the toys that she had around her as my characters and props. I can picture myself sitting on the bathroom floor right at her eye-line so she’d also see my gestures and body movements. Known for my dramatics I would also use my tone of voice to keep her engaged. We had many an adventure in the bath. And as her vocabulary started to develop she was also able to join in with the storytelling.
Our EPIC bath boxes have a great selection of open-ended toys that you can use to help spark that ‘story’ imagination. Please share with us any of your characters, far-flung places and adventures you went on!