Get them interested at an early age with a Halloween story for toddlers and preschoolers!

No matter how young, all children can benefit from storytelling. There’s even evidence that a child in the womb hears what is going on in the outside world and that has an effect on cognitive development. Telling your child stories yourself can be a rewarding experience with lots of benefits. But, if you need a break, you can always switch on our three-part Halloween story linked in the article. Here are some of the main benefits you and your child will get from storytelling:

Expanded vocabulary and language development. Tales and storytelling videos for babies are mostly made up of simple topics like colors and animals, providing them with a solid word foundation. As your child develops, you can find content that is increasingly complex. By hearing these stories, your child will learn new words and phrases that they wouldn’t otherwise hear.

Increased attention span and concentration It’s no secret that children don’t have the longest attention spans. But it’s a skill that needs to be developed over time. If you try and force them to sit and listen for hours at a time, there’s a good chance this will have a negative impact on how they feel about it. Start with just a few minutes of stories a day (or as long as the child is interested). Gradually, as story time becomes a habit, this time will naturally increase until you’ll have to put a time limit on it!

A stronger relationship with your child Setting aside storytelling time with your child gives you two the opportunity to have special one-on-one bonding time. Creating good memories like these lets you and your child connect and help the child feel nurtured and cared for. At the same time, it can be soothing for you as well to have that chance to wind down with a loved one on an otherwise hectic day.

But, if your child wants more storytelling than you can give or you want them to have a greater variety, we’ve got a Halloween tale perfect to thrill and delight young children. Three friends embark on a trick-or-treat adventure but run into some bad luck… Whatever shall they do?

Watch the tale with your child and ask them questions to see how much they understand. The story is split into three parts, so you can see what creative guesses your child comes up with as to how the story continues. Then, feel free to get involved with the Bini Bambini community and comment on our Facebook page or website with your answers.

<Part 1 of The Lady at the End of the Street>

Storytelling prepares kids for kindergarten

So, we know that listening to a story increases a child’s attention span and concentration, expands their vocabulary and language comprehension, and helps them cultivate a positive attitude towards reading. These are all skills necessary for your child to excel in kindergarten and get their educational journey off to a flying start. But what else can they learn from the stories they hear?

Life lessons

Stories give us characters, situations, and the opportunity to talk about real issues in a way that’s suitable for children. By seeing what happens in a story and how the characters react to it, children are able to objectively consider what they might do in the same situation. Stories are often where we cultivate our life values and morals. They can also demystify potentially scary occasions like a trip to the dentist or the first day of school, decreasing their anxiety and improving the experiences they have at kindergarten.

Social and emotional development

As well as presenting situations that children might run into, stories give us the opportunity to experience life from someone else’s perspective. This insight into other people’s circumstances creates a higher level of emotional IQ, helping children understand their emotions and the emotions of others. Kids become better able to put themselves in someone else’s shoes and have improved social interactions with others at kindergarten thanks to having greater empathy.

Confidence

Kids who have experienced lots of storytelling can be confident in expressing themselves when they start school. Being confident makes kids more willing to try to solve new challenges as well as helping them succeed when they do. The more successes a child has, the more confident they become, so if you get the ball rolling early on, there’ll be nothing to stop your child from getting the most out of their education.

Now that we know how beneficial storytelling is in preparing a child for kindergarten, let’s watch part 2 of the Lady at the End of the Street. The three friends have wandered from the path and discovered a pair of big green eyes… Who could they belong to? Watch and listen to find out.

<Part 2 of The Lady at the End of the Street>

Reading and storytelling for children: why both are important

Reading and storytelling seem really similar, and a lot of the benefits are the same. So, what’s the difference?

For starters, storytelling is spoken aloud, so children can start without having to know the alphabet. In fact, it is a natural precursor and helps children connect the spoken word to the written word when they do start to read.

Storytelling can be more social than reading. Now there’s nothing wrong with curling up with a good book on your own. It’s a great way to unwind and relax. But sitting around the campfire listening to stories with friends, visiting your local library for storytime, or listening to a story on YouTube with family gives you a chance to talk about all the exciting things that happened.

Storytelling can also be collaborative. If you’re reading a book, the tale is already set in stone (well, paper). But with storytelling, you can use a book to help you along or you can come up with something completely original. And you don’t have to do it alone, you can get your kid to chime in with ideas. This usually makes for some whacky and entertaining stories that will have you rolling in laughter.

So, with these great reasons to include more storytelling in your everyday life, let’s find out what happens to our three friends in the final chapter of our spooky Halloween tale: The Lady at the End of the Street. However will they break the bad candy curse?! Take a look.

<Part 3 of The Lady at the End of the Street>

Hopefully, you’ve enjoyed our Halloween story and are eager to get on with some storytelling of your own. Don’t worry if you’re a little rusty at first. Practice makes perfect, and your kid will love the quality time you spend together. From the team at Bini Bambini, have a happy and safe Halloween!