Step into a Montessori Preschool in Chatsworth and see for yourself how the classrooms and curriculum have been carefully arranged to benefit each child. From day one, the Montessori method has kept your child’s healthy and well-rounded education at the heart of its core principles. That method stems in part from a strong belief in creating an atmosphere where children can develop a natural love of learning and exploring the world.
And what better way to stimulate young minds and encourage curiosity than story time? A professor with the Association for Library Service to Children reported on a few small research studies and came up with several benefits of storytelling to children in school.
A better sense of community between students and teachers
Telling stories aloud in class helped children stay alert and engaged for long periods of time. Importantly, they showed interest and paid attention to what others had to say.Discussion questions such as “Who was your favorite character in the story, and why?” prompt answers that may help students relate to each other. Those answers can also help teachers understand and empathize with the life experiences of their students.
A head start on developing literacy skills
A child listening to a story naturally tries to understand the spoken words in real-life terms. For most, that means visualizing descriptions and picturing scenes in their heads.If preschoolers practice these skills at such an early age, they’re likely to have a more advanced technique when they begin reading books on their own.
Not only that, but sparking an interest in stories encourages children to read widely and often as they grow up.
More creative thinking
In one case the research touched on, the kids were encouraged to discuss the stories amongst themselves and even provide alternate endings of their own.Young children seemed to enjoy reenacting certain stories, taking an active part in what had until that point only been in their imaginations.
Better memory recall
Questions and discussion points about the story proved that children were interested and happy to dig into their memories to recall what happened.Having children retell the story and actively remember the sequences of events may help with solidifying the memories.
