From a picture comes a story “Honey, do you know who that is? That’s Grammy when she was a little girl.” Your daughter looks surprised. She asks, “Grammy’s horse?” “Yes, that’s Grammy’s horse Dakota.” “I like horses,” your child says. “Grammy likes horses, too. Dakota was Grammy’s favorite horse. She raised her from a baby horse. She brushed her every day and fed her every day and when she was big enough, she rode her every day. What do you think it would feel like to ride a horse?” “Big, but fun. Mommy ride with me?” Sharing stories is as easy as that. The mother noticed her child’s fascination with the picture and took the opportunity to tell a story based on that curiosity, using language to add to her daughter’s understanding. The next time they’re at the library together, they might choose a book about horses, helping the child connect oral stories with books.

Does he like dinosaurs, baseball, trucks, ballet, flowers, or seashells? Follow your child’s lead as he explores the world around him. Discovering what motivates your child is important in helping your child to become a future reader (Thomas & Loring, 1983).

One thing children are always interested in is themselves! Having a starring role in a story is sure to keep your child’s attention. You can use make-believe stories or simply tell a story about your child’s day. “Once upon a time there was a boy named Daniel. He loved to climb and he was a very good climber. One day he went to the park with his Dad and they spent all afternoon climbing up the big toy and sliding down the slide. Daniel also loves to climb on Dad!”

Even the youngest children can be the star of shared stories. As you change your baby’s diaper, have a “conversation” with her about what the two of you are doing. “Tasha is kicking her foot. Look at that foot move up and down! I wonder if Mommy can catch that little foot.” Even though your infant can’t yet participate in this conversation by talking, you can encourage her to participate by taking turns just as you would with an older child—stopping and letting her respond with smiles, giggles or eye contact with you.

Questions are the child’s way of asking the parent for an answer—a story—that makes sense on the child’s level (Gray, 1997). An important thing to keep in mind is that some answers to a child’s question encourage further conversation and others do not. Let’s say you’re in the kitchen cooking and your preschooler wanders in and asks, “What are you doing Mom?” If you say, “Just cookin”, the conversation might stop there. But if you answer, “I’m chopping up the lettuce for our salad. What else do you think we could put in the salad?” then you’re inviting your child to continue the conversation.

Your home is a great place to share stories and conversations with your child. Infants and toddlers are curious about everything that goes on around them. You can take these opportunities to talk with your young child about what he sees and hears. Talking about a dream your child had, a play date, or what happened at daycare builds language skills and helps him understand how things work. By sharing a story, you are teaching your child how to listen and how to ask questions. These are important building blocks of literacy that can also shape a child’s attitude toward reading later in life (Burns et al., 1999).

Children also benefit when they see parents sharing stories with each other (Burns et al., 1999). Hearing dinner table conversations in which each parent shares the events of their day with each other exposes young children to even more examples of shared stories. Parents are role models for their children in the literacy process. When children observe their parents sharing stories they will imitate what they see (Bergin, 2001; Burns et al., 1999).


Simply put, sharing stories can help your child take an important step in developing his language skills and understanding of how stories work. It is also a way of engaging with children that answers some of their questions, sparks their curiosity, and builds your relationship.