Storytelling for babies

- children loved to be told stories
- through storytelling, many delightful stories, fascinating legends and poignant accounts of history were passed down from generations to generations
- nowadays other entertainment such as TV and computers are some factors that led to the diminishing of storytelling rituals in families

Benefits of storytelling
1. stimulate baby's brain
- studies showed that mere exposure such as listening to the TV provides little benefit to babies
- storytelling to your child acts an interaction which is vital for a baby's brain development
- close interaction betw parent and baby during storytelling fosters intimate bonding

2. Develops language
- expands baby's vocabulary as child picks up sounds and patterns while listening to storytelling
- patterns eg. intonation, pronunciation, sentence structures

3. Sharpens listening and comprehension skills
- a child learns to sequence a story chronologically, recall information and predict what might happen next in the story
- he/she also hones his listening skills and develops his abilities to understand a series of events and characters in a story


4. Enhances imagination and creativity- baby conjures up images and immerses himself in the mood of the story
- storytelling spurs creativity in kids as they come up with their own suggestions to how the story could develop
- encourages participation from children

5. Aids emotional development- child learns to identify the various types of feelings as he empathises with the main character or feels angry with the villain
- Children derive a lot of reassurance from stories
- stories allow a child to confront and learn to manage his feelings and explore a situation on a "trial run" before facing the real situation

6. Develops problem-solving skills- child learns how various problems can be solved and may even be spurred on to come up with his own ingenious solutions

7. Teaches moral values and behaviour- eg Aesop Fables are simple tales that delight kids while imparting moral values
- help your child understand appropriate behaviour in various situations
- children tend to be more receptive and less defensive when stories are used to convey the teachings

8. Increases your child's knowledge- child learns about different cultures when you tell him a story on a character in another country or about the different amazing abilities of creatures in stories about animals
- he acquires all kinds of knowledge

9. Provides relaxation and fun- can be used to help your child wind down from his whirlwind of activities
- storytelling before bedtime can help your child relax and set the mood for sleeping