Technology presents us with so many dynamic opportunities to consume new content every day, but we will still crave stories to make sense of the world as humans. That's because stories can make a difference. Stories define us, control us, shape us, and make us. They create magic and a sense of wonder so incredible that it can last a lifetime. They teach us about life as we know it, about ourselves and others.
Researchers have found that children who grow up reading and listening to stories develop enhanced literacy skills and grow up with a better understanding of culture, values, attitudes, beliefs, and social norms.
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Why Are Stories For Children Important?
Stories play a vital role in the growth and development of children. The books they read and the characters they get to know help them in a number of ways, including:
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Higher Confidence Levels
Reading stories help build confidence in your children. Kids who can read develop high confidence levels, benefiting them in actively participating in school activities. Moreover, stories are a reflection of how people live their lives in different parts of the world. This helps children become aware and confident about how they fit into the world.
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Better Learning and Language Skills
Stories are an excellent way to teach language skills in children. Learning through stories is a natural way of learning; there's no actual teaching involved at all. Right from picture books to complex young adult novels, stories introduce new ideas, concepts and words and help children learn the following:
- Simple concepts (shape, size, space, colour, etc.)
- Everyday tasks (how to take care of animals, cleaning and tidying up the room, etc.).
- Complex ideas (compassion for others, the importance of sharing, the passage of time, etc.).
- Coping up with traumatic events (family breakup, death in the family, etc.).
- Diversity in the world and how vastly different are some people's lives from theirs.
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Enhanced Imagination
Stories introduce new ideas about planets, different time periods, fantastical worlds, invented characters – all these help in developing the child's imagination. Children stories juggle between super realistic or fabulously fantastical. At one minute, they'll be reading about stories of children growing up in situations similar to theirs, and the next minute, they can be transported to a different world where Martians are holidaying on Earth. The range of stories for children is incredible for developing their power of imagination.
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Better Cope With Feelings
Emotional stories help children understand and accept feelings better. The characters in the stories realise that they are not alone in feeling the way they do. This makes them understand that feelings are natural and need to be expressed.
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Relaxation
Reading stories, especially before bedtime, help children relax. When children indulge in fantasy through stories, they forget the stress and strain of the day. Reading a much-loved story over and over again has a soothing effect on the child, plus it gives them a sense of security.
Tips For Reading Stories With Your Child
Reading stories with your child is a fun and educational activity. The quality time you spend with your child can help them develop their language skills and their love for books. We've listed down a few tips we think will help you read stories with your children. Hope you find them useful.
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Discuss the cover of the book to create interest in the story
Before you open the book to read, begin with reading the title of the book on its cover. When on the cover of the book, ask your child to do these simple activities:
- Figure out the meaning of the title.
- Describe the picture on the cover.
- Tell the story by just looking at the picture on the cover.
- Point out the characters.
- Count objects.
- Look for colours.
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Change your voice for each character
Have a different voice for each character in the story. If a character is a shy mouse, you can speak in a whisper. You can also match the tone of your voice to express emotions like anger, happiness, sadness, etc. This will not only make the story entertaining, but your child will also learn new words, such as shyly, happily, angrily, and sadly.
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You don't have to read every word on the page
Some children storybooks might have the best of pictures and a wonderful story, but the word choice could be too difficult for your child to read and understand. Here, you can make the choice of not reading every word on the page. You can change a few words or skip some text and adapt to the story to ensure it suits the level of your child. Using illustrations to tell a story can also make sense for your situation.
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Comment on the story while you are reading
Comment on what has happened so far and ask questions to keep your child engaged. For example, while reading, Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, you can ask: "What were they doing?" "Where is their mom?" "How many monkeys are there now?"
You can make it more fun by asking your child to guess what might happen next. "What do you think the monkeys will do?" "Which monkey will fall next?". You can also ask close-ended questions like: "Is their mom angry?" "Are the monkeys sleepy?"
Different Types Of Stories
Stories for children play a key role in shaping their personalities. The stories the children read and listen to and the characters in those stories have an impact on their thinking. Short stories for children are written to instil values and good behaviours in kids. Below is a list of some of the best kinds of stories that we are sure your child would enjoy:
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Adventure Stories for Kids
Adventure stories have the ability to draw your child into a world that they otherwise would never get to explore. Through a good adventure story, your child can visit places that they would never choose to go, care about characters that they have never met, and get a glimpse of a little spark of adventure that they never knew existed. Adventure stories aim to spark curiosity and the love of exploring new things in your child's heart and mind while enjoying the ride.
Adventure is just a page away.
Click here to read the best adventure stories for kids from our collection:
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Scary Halloween Stories
What better way to celebrate Halloween than to read spine-tingling tales and spooky stories of ghosts and goblins? Scary stories are the fun parts of Halloween. Scary Halloween stories are about bats and pumpkins, ghosts and goblins, monsters, and witches, and all that this spooky season brings with it.
Our collection of scary Halloween stories is sure to scare your child silly on Halloween and beyond. To read Halloween stories click here
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Animal Stories for Kids
The best thing about animal stories is that they create the strangest yet safest worlds for children to learn the most difficult lessons. And the neatest trick is that these lessons are delivered naturally as part of an exciting animal story. Animal stories go to places that most stories cannot and can have quite an impact when viewed through non-human eyes.
We've curated a list of the best animal stories for kids, click here to read.
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Bedtime Stories for Kids
Bedtime stories are simple, soothing and usually fantastical in nature. When you read bedtime stories to your child, they are transported in a world like no other – a place of fantasy and imagination where anything is possible and everything is mysterious.
Enjoy our curated list of the best bedtime stories for kids here:
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Moral Stories for Kids
Children remember moral messages in stories for the rest of their lives. These stories are usually passed on from generation to generation. Tales with moral lessons help children understand right conduct and good values. Kids' short moral stories are excellent pieces of fiction that can be easily consumed to stimulate moral awareness.
Each story from our list of moral stories for kids is packed with powerful moral messages, click here to read.
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Funny Stories for Kids
Comedy is essential and a welcome escape from the chaos of the world. Reading funny stories to your child creates connections – having a good laugh together builds a bond and helps you get closer. Funny stories also give you the ability to laugh at yourself, and that's a powerful tool to get through life's ups and downs.
Spend a few minutes reading funny stories for kids with your child from our collection and have a hearty laugh.
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Panchatantra Stories for Kids
Panchatantra stories are the oldest short moral stories for kids. These amazing children's stories have created such an impact that they have got a worldwide audience. Panchatantra stories seek to explain things about life and nature. Some stories may have some "make-believe" elements, like talking animals, while some may be folklores, but all in all, these stories are sensible, relatable and even realistic.
Click here to read stories from our collection.
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Fairy Tale Stories for Kids
Fairy tales are short and interesting tales featuring fantasy characters, such as fairies, elves, dwarves, giants, unicorns, mermaids, goblins, or witches. Reading these tales takes the child into an unreal world with jaw-dropping surprises, mesmerising events, magic spells, and enchanting creatures. These stories usually have a "happily ever after" ending, where the good wins over the evil.
We've curated a collection of the best fairy tales for kids, click here to read.
In Conclusion
Humans have this insatiable craving for the known and the unknown that is usually satisfied by stories. Stories for children are the best resource for parents willing to educate their children in a fun and effective way. Each of these diverse children stories has an important lesson to learn, giving children the answers to life's biggest questions, and the courage to overcome life's biggest challenges.
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