Storytelling is a timeless art—and for children, it’s also an incredibly effective educational tool. By weaving lessons into stories, you’re not just entertaining them; you’re building their language and comprehension skills. If you’re a parent, educator, or homeschooler looking for ways to nurture a child’s vocabulary, storytelling can be a game-changer.
Explore ways that bring stories to life while expanding your child’s vocabulary. From reading in bed at night with stories to igniting students in a classroom activity, these techniques will keep little minds active and learning.
Why Storytelling is a Powerful Tool for Vocabulary Building
Children thrive when they’re immersed in rich contextual language—and stories provide that. Stories acclimate children to new words, phrases, and sentence patterns while putting them in a memorizable context. This is how storytelling supports vocabulary development:
- Exposure to New Words: Personalized stories will likely include age-appropriate but diverse vocabulary, introducing children to words they won’t likely hear in everyday conversation.
- Contextual Learning: Listening to words in context enables children to learn their meaning from clues within the context.
- Improved Retention: Stories are emotionally engaging, so new vocabulary is more likely to be remembered.
A recent study cited by the American Psychological Association found that when parents include storytelling in the daily routine, children’s vocabularies learn much better than through traditional repetition or memorization of words.
5 Storytelling Techniques to Boost Your Child’s Vocabulary
1. Utilize Rich Descriptive Language
Utilize descriptive words to captivate children and create a sensory experience. Do not write, “The dragon was big”; write “a towering, emerald-scaled dragon whose wings glimmered like spun gold.”
- Introduce higher-level adjectives (e.g., “glistening,” “velvety”) and suspenseful verbs (e.g., “soared,” “lurched”).
- Define unfamiliar words in context as you read or tell the story.
| Simple Sentence | Descriptive Sentence |
| The cat walked through the garden. | The sleek black cat padded silently through the sun-dappled garden, its tail swaying gracefully. |
The glossy black cat moved stealthily across the sunbeam-lit garden, its tail swishing smoothly.
Once the story has been told, invite your child to say or to repeat the learned words. Repeat, repeat, repeat!
2. Invite Participation with Questions
Interactive features capture children’s interest and offer vocabulary scaffolding.
- Ask “Why” or “What if” questions from the book. For example, “What do you think a ‘hollow’ tree sounds like?” or “Why do you think the character was ‘reluctant’ to go into the cave?”
- Give simple explanations or synonyms for tricky words on the spot.
This activity reinforces comprehension and challenges kids to think intentionally about new words when they read them.
3. Use Repetition
Repetition is great for remembering. Choose tales that continually drill in single new words or expressions.
For example:
- “The little boy opened the old chest. The chest was so old that its hinges ached with creaking.”
Create a small “word wall” on a board or on paper with new vocabulary that has developed throughout the story. Add definitions or illustrations as needed. Repeat these words later in other stories or situations in order to give them permanence.
4. Weave In Their Interests
Modify your stories to themes your child likes already. Dinosaur, space, or secret treasure is a story just as good as any theme around the favorite subject shared with your child.
- If you have a space fan, go with “orbit,” “nebula,” or “cosmic.”
- Explain the words while and afterwards reading the tale.
By tapping into their existing interests, you’re making new vocabulary feel exciting rather than like a chore.
5. Act it Out
Bring your story to life through role-play or dramatization. Act out scenes, giving the child opportunities to use and hear new words.
For example, if the word “frantic” is in your story, demonstrate what “frantic” looks like by pretending to search frantically for something misplaced. Have the child pretend as well, using the new word in sentences, like “I was frantic when I couldn’t find my red pencil.”
This physical component gives context and makes word meanings clearer.
How to Make Storytelling a Daily Habit
To instill in them a love for storytelling—and in the process, build their vocabulary—here are some practices to attempt:
- Create a Routine: Set aside a fixed time every day for storytelling, either before sleep or as part of an afternoon activity.
- Vary Genres: Offer varied stories from classic fairy tales to cross-cultural folklore to modern-day adventures. Varying genres expose children to various forms of vocabulary.
- Write Stories Together: Collaborate on a short story where your child can generate ideas, allowing them to practice vocabulary in a hands-on manner.
- Incorporate Digital Resources: Storytelling does not have to be done verbally. Audiobooks, interactive storytelling apps, and websites such as Storynory offer engaging storytelling experiences.
Bonus Tip for Educators
If you have multiple students, play the “word jar” activity with storytelling. After reading a story, write new words on pieces of paper and place them in a jar. Next, draw out words at random and have children recall what they mean or create sentences using them.
Unlock Their Word Power!
Storytelling isn’t only about fostering creativity—it’s about giving children the vocabulary to communicate more confidently. By incorporating these techniques of storytelling, your kids will be using words like “curious” rather than “strange,” or “exuberant” rather than “excited,” in no time.
