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(Unit 8) Topic 6: Once Upon a Time: Fairy Tales in the Early Childhood Classroom 

2 Clock Hours of Early Childhood Education

The Importance of Oral Storytelling

​Topic 6 Page 7

Oral storytelling, or sharing stories using only spoken word, is the oldest form of teaching. It is how our ancestors passed on information, and storytelling is innately human. We all have stories to tell and the desire to tell them. Storytelling continues to be used in the classroom as a teaching strategy. It differs from read-aloud time in that no physical text is involved. You tell the story simply from memory. Even the youngest children can listen to stories and begin to practice storytelling on their own. 

Listening to and telling stories, including fairy tales, is valuable for children of all ages. Here are just some of the benefits:  

• Develops verbal skills
• Encourages creativity and imagination
• Increases attention span
• Enhances listening skills
• Increases classroom community
• Increases comprehension and retention skills 

Vocabulary
As previously stated, telling stories plays an important part in early literacy development. An additional aspect of this is vocabulary building. As you share a new story with children, they are introduced to new words in a natural and meaningful way. The following video explains how teachers can use stories to enhance vocabulary development in the classroom. ​

(Unit 8) Topic 6: Fairy Tales in the Early Childhood Classroom  * Navigation Menu