Reading books with your children
is clearly a good idea. Yet, what most parents don’t know is that everyday
family stories confer many of the same benefits of reading–and even some new
ones. Over the last 25 years, a small canon of research on family storytelling
shows that when parents share more family stories with their children, there
are numerous benefits. For instance, studies show that when parents learn to
reminisce about everyday events with their preschool children in more detailed
ways, their children tell richer, more complete narratives to other adults.
Children of parents who learned new ways to
reminisce also demonstrate better
understanding of other people’s thoughts and
emotions. These advanced narrative and
emotional skills serve children well in their school years when reading complex
material and learning to get along with others. In the preteen years, children
whose families collaboratively discuss everyday events and family history more
often have higher
self-esteem and stronger self-concepts.
And adolescents with a stronger knowledge of family
history have more robust identities,
better coping skills, and lower rates of depression and anxiety. Family
storytelling can help a child grow into a teen who feels connected to the
important people in her life.
Best of all, unlike stories from
books, family stories are always free and completely portable. You don’t even
need to have the lights on to share with your child a story about your day,
about their day, about your childhood or their grandma’s. In the research on
family storytelling, all of these kinds of stories are linked to benefits for
your child. Family stories can continue to be part of a parent’s daily
interactions with their children into adolescence, long past the age of the
bedtime story.
Books contain narratives, but
only family stories contain your family’s personal
narratives. Fortunate children get both. They hear and read stories from books
to become part of other people’s worlds, and they hear and tell stories of
their family to understand who they are and from whence they came.
The holidays are prime time for
family storytelling. Family stories can be told nearly anywhere. They cost us
only our time, our memories, our creativity. They can inspire us, protect us,
and bind us to others. So be generous with your stories, and be generous in your stories. Remember that your children
may have them for a lifetime. (The
Atlantic, 12/9/13: “What Kids Learn from hearing Family Stories”) Happy
storytelling during the holidays!
-Dr. Paula Sissel
Garden County Schools
Superintendent/Elementary
Principal