The Art Of Storytelling: Why Our Kids Need Stories The Most

Stories have captivated the hearts and minds of humanity since time immemorial. Across cultures and generations, storytelling has served as a powerful tool for sharing knowledge, preserving history, and sparking imagination.

When it comes to children, storytelling holds a special place in their development, providing them with numerous advantages that shape their emotional, cognitive, and social growth.

There is no doubt that storytelling lays the foundation for language and literacy skills in children. Through exposure to a variety of narratives, they expand their vocabulary, grasp grammar rules, and improve sentence structure. As they listen to stories, their receptive language skills are enhanced, enabling them to better understand and communicate ideas.

Imagination is the gateway to endless possibilities, and storytelling nurtures this vital aspect of a child’s cognitive development. As kids are transported to magical worlds and encounter diverse characters, their creativity is unleashed. They learn to think critically, solve problems, and make connections between different ideas. Storytelling also boosts memory retention as children recall story details, characters, and plotlines, exercising their cognitive processes.

At the same time, stories have the power to evoke a wide range of emotions in children. They can experience joy, sadness, fear, and empathy as they journey alongside fictional characters. Storytelling teaches valuable life lessons, encourages empathy towards diverse perspectives, and promotes moral reasoning, enabling children to navigate complex emotional landscapes in their own lives.

Through storytelling, children are exposed to various cultures, traditions, and perspectives from around the world. Stories serve as windows to different lifestyles, fostering acceptance and appreciation for diversity.

What is more, storytelling nurtures strong bonds between children and their storytellers. Whether it’s parents, grandparents, teachers, or siblings, sharing stories creates opportunities for quality time and intimate connections. It enhances communication skills as children ask questions, engage in discussions, and express their thoughts and opinions. Furthermore, group storytelling sessions encourage collaboration, turn-taking, and respect for others’ ideas, fostering social skills and cooperative learning.

To help parents record stories and nurture kids in storytelling, Cadbury launched its Give a Generous Voice Story Time campaign that introduces a homegrown audio library and encourages members of the public to record e-books and thus lend their voices to storytime.

The African-themed audiobooks can be accessed from an e-library at Cadbury Africa allowing families to enjoy story time with their loved ones.

Kenyans can also share the magic of story time by visiting the Cadbury library at https://www.cadbury.africa/ourownwords/, selecting an E-book, and clicking on the microphone to record themselves narrating a story or they can visit Cadbury Generosity Story Time Studio and adding their voice to a homegrown story for other families to enjoy.

The Cadbury Generosity Story Time Studio will be visiting the Sarit Centre Mall, Village Market, Junction Mall, and Imaara Mall from the end of June to August 2023.