Stories are loved by people of all ages, from children to adults. Telling stories to our children is one of the biggest gifts we can give them, especially when they are very young. In schools, stories contribute to children’s cognitive and emotional development. With stories, we can help children differentiate between good and bad, guide them to identify moral values, and encourage them to develop their imagination and creativity when they invent stories themselves, for example.

During January 31st – February 4th 2022, the International School of Oradea held the Storytelling Week program. Over 100 children from nursery, kindergarten and school have participated. Our school organized daily activities dedicated to reading and telling stories, such as trips to the county library, where the kids were fascinated by the multitude of books or dressing up as their favorite characters. Through stories, our children and students played and learned as well. Every year at the end of January and the beginning of February, the International School of Oradea organizes Storytelling Week involving the parents of our children in reading activities, as well. This year, due to the pandemic, the parents from the KS1 sent us videos with the stories they read to their children.  

During the first years of development, our children absorb everything like a sponge: ideas and thoughts from the family, the TV, the nursery, kindergarten, school and books. Now they have the chance to develop their own way of thinking, their own way of looking at life and getting to know themselves. Stories are, in this context, a fun way to inspire children to learn and grow.

A study conducted in 2004 in the United States (Early Childhood Education Journal, Vol. 32, No. 3, December 2004, pp. 157-163) showed that children participating in storytelling activities are better at understand the text when they have to retell it, and children who read stories on their own use more complex language. These skills can only be developed through stories and books. No technology can replace the connection between parent and child or the guidance provided by the teacher to the students!