You know, as someone who helps kids with their talking, I’ve seen over and over how amazing stories are. It’s not just about reading the words and looking at the pretty pictures. Stories are like magic for helping kids learn to talk and understand the world. But here’s the real trick: it’s when they tell the story back to you. That’s when the real learning happens. It helps them organize their thoughts, say what they’re thinking, and really get how language works. And guess what? You can totally help them with story retelling at home!

Just picture this: your kid’s eyes shining as they tell you what happened in the book. They’re doing the character’s voices, acting out the parts with their hands. It’s not just remembering the story, it’s like they’re building their own little world. They’re taking what they heard and making it their own. And that, right there, is a huge step in them learning to talk and understand language.

Why Story Retelling Matters: The Building Blocks of Language

Retelling stories isn’t just a fun activity; it’s actually super important for your child’s language development. It’s how they start to understand tricky ideas, learn new words, and figure out how sentences work. Think of it as building blocks for their communication skills.

Comprehension and Sequencing: Retelling demands that a child understand the core narrative and arrange events in a logical order. This strengthens their ability to follow instructions, understand cause-and-effect, and organize their own thoughts.
Vocabulary Enrichment: As children retell stories, they encounter and use a wider range of words, expanding their vocabulary and improving their ability to express themselves with precision.
Sentence Structure and Grammar: Retelling provides opportunities to practice using different sentence structures and grammatical forms. Children learn to create cohesive narratives, using conjunctions such as and or but, pronouns, and varied sentence types.
Narrative Skills: Retelling lays the foundation for storytelling, a crucial skill for academic success and social interaction. Children learn to create narratives with a clear beginning, middle, and end, incorporating characters, settings, and plot points.
Working Memory and Attention: Retelling requires children to hold information in their minds and retrieve it, strengthening their working memory and attention skills.
Expressive Language: Retelling empowers children to articulate their thoughts and ideas, fostering confidence in their ability to communicate effectively.

Stepping into the Story: A Step-by-Step Guide for Retelling at Home

The following will outline strategies for developing this critical skill in your child, transforming story time into a more interactive and enriching activity

Choosing the Right Story:

Start with simple stories with clear characters, settings, and plot lines. Picture books with vibrant illustrations are ideal.
Select stories that are engaging and age-appropriate. Consider your child’s interests and attention span.
Repetition is key. Re-reading the same story multiple times allows your child to become familiar with the narrative.

The First Read: Immersing in the World:

Read the story aloud with enthusiasm, using expressive voices and gestures.
Point to the illustrations and describe what is happening in the pictures.
Pause periodically to ask simple questions, such as “What is the character doing?” or “Where are they going?”

Interactive Reading: Diving Deeper:

During subsequent readings, encourage your child to participate. Ask them to point to characters, name objects, and imitate sounds.
Use open-ended questions to stimulate conversation, such as “What do you think will happen next?” or “How does the character feel?”
Relate the story to your child’s own experiences, asking questions like “Have you ever felt like that?” or “What would you do in that situation?”

The Retelling Journey: Step-by-Step:

- Picture Prompts:
  - Use the illustrations in the book as visual cues. Ask your child to describe what is happening in each picture.
  - “Let’s look at this picture. What do you see? Who is in the picture? What are they doing?”
- Key Question Prompts:
  - To help your child remember the important parts of the story, ask them key questions.
  - “Who was in the story?”
  - “Where did the story happen?”
  - “What happened first? Next? Last?”
  - “How did the story end?”
- Character Exploration:
  - Focus on the characters in the story. Ask your child to describe their personalities, actions, and feelings.
  - “What kind of person is the main character? What did they do? How did they feel?”
- Setting the Scene:
  - Discuss the setting of the story. Ask your child to describe where the story takes place and how it contributes to the narrative.
  - “Where did the story happen? What did it look like? How did the setting make you feel?”
- Event Sequencing:
  - Help your child sequence the events of the story. Use words like “first,” “then,” “next,” and “finally.”
  - “What happened at the beginning of the story? What happened in the middle? What happened at the end?”
- Personal Connections:
  - Encourage your child to connect the story to their own experiences. Ask them how the story made them feel and if they have ever had similar experiences.
  - “How did this story make you feel? Have you ever felt like that character? What would you have done?”
- Creative Retelling:
  - Encourage your child to retell the story in their own words. They can use puppets, drawings, or even act out the story.
  - “Tell me the story in your own words. You can use your toys or draw pictures if you want.”

Using Toys (e.g., toy animals or figurines)

Parent: “Let’s retell ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears.’ Here are our bear toys! (Sets out three bear figurines) And here’s Goldilocks! (Sets out a doll) Now, what did Goldilocks find when she went into the bears’ house?”
Child: “Porridge!”
Parent: “Yes! (Uses toy bowls to represent porridge) She found three bowls of porridge. Which porridge did she like best?”
Child: “The baby bear’s!”
Parent: (Moves Goldilocks doll to the baby bear’s bowl) “That’s right! She liked the baby bear’s porridge. Now, what else did she try?”
Child: “The chairs!”
Parent: (Sets out three toy chairs) “And which chair did she break?”
Child: “The baby bear’s!”
Parent: “Good job! Now you tell me what happened when the bears came home.”

Scripting for Success: Guiding the Retelling:

Beginning:
- “Once upon a time, there was a…”
- “In a land far away, there lived a…”
- “Let’s start at the beginning. What happened first?”
Middle:
- “Then, the character decided to…”
- “Suddenly, something unexpected happened…”
- “What happened next? What did the character do?”
End:
- “Finally, the character learned a valuable lesson…”
- “And they all lived happily ever after…”
- “How did the story end? What happened in the end?”
Character Feelings:
- “How did the character feel when…?”
- “What made the character happy/sad/angry?”
- “Why did the character feel that way?”

Making it Fun and Engaging:

- Use puppets, toys, or props to bring the story to life.

Using Puppets (e.g., finger puppets of characters from the story)

Parent: “Okay, let’s retell the story of ‘The Three Little Pigs!’ Here are our puppets! (Picks up the pig puppets) This is the first little pig. What did the first little pig build his house out of?”
Child: “Straw!”
Parent: “That’s right! (Uses puppet to act out building a straw house) He built a house of straw, like this. And then, who came along?”
Child: “The big bad wolf!”
Parent: (Picks up wolf puppet, and makes a scary voice) “And the big bad wolf said, ‘Little pig, little pig, let me in!’ What did the pig say?”
Child: “Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin!”
Parent: (Wolf puppet huffs and puffs, knocking down the straw house) “And then, the wolf blew the house down! Oh no! Now, you tell me what happened next with the other pigs.”

Encourage your child to use different voices and sound effects.
Make it a collaborative experience. Retell the story together, taking turns.
Celebrate your child’s efforts and provide positive reinforcement.

Beyond the Book: Extending the Story:

Encourage your child to create their own stories, based on the characters and settings they have encountered.
Act out scenes from the story, using dramatic play.
Draw pictures or create crafts related to the story.

The Gift of Storytelling: A Lifelong Skill

Story retelling is more than just a language exercise; it’s a gift that you can give your child, a gift that will empower them to communicate effectively, think creatively, and connect with the world around them.

As you embark on this journey, remember to be patient, supportive, and enthusiastic. Celebrate every milestone, every word, every gesture. For in the unfolding worlds of stories, your child will discover the magic of language and the power of their own voice.

For more information check out these resource:

MDS: How Screen Time Affects Speech and Language in Kids

First Words Bright Futures Facebook Page

First Words Bright Futures Instagram Page

Disclaimer: This article provides general information and suggestions. It is not intended as a substitute for professional diagnosis or treatment from a certified Speech-Language Pathologist. If you have specific concerns about your child’s speech development, please consult with a qualified professional in your area.