Telling Stories

Telling stories is a wonderful way to increase your young child's vocabulary.  Use new words and explain what they mean as you tell the story.  Your child will love hearing almost any story you tell because you are the one telling it!

Here are some ideas to get you started:

--For very young children, start with making silly sounds.  Children love to mimic the sounds you make.  This is the beginning of conversation with your child. 

--Talk about the day your child was born and express your feelings for that special day.

--Use puppets, stuffed animals and silly voices to enhance your stories.  Have your child join in with silly voices and words/phrases that repeat throughout your stories.

--Use family photos to tell a story.

--Encourage your child to tell a story about a favorite event.

Wordless picture books give children the opportunity to tell the stories themselves.  Here are a few suggestions for wordless picture books:

Carl's Masquerade by Alexandra Day
Chalk by Bill Thomson
Dinosaur Dream by Robin Koontz
Flotsam by David Wiesner
Free Fall by David Wiesner
I See A Song by Eric Carle
The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney
The Snowman by Raymond Briggs
Time Flies by Eric Rohmann
Window by Jeannie Baker