Story telling is not just an amusement time for your little child

Today’s blog is about story-telling and what it does for the brain.

We all have loved the story that our grandma told us when we are young. I hope you remember the story about two cats fighting over food and a hungry monkey fools them and enjoys a real feast. Even I guess , you would remember the story  of the crocodile and the monkey.

Well all my stories definitely has a monkey in it  because my grandparents always gave the central character to this animal. I really can’t cite out a reason for it.

Story telling would be a fun part in our childhood but this activity really had a relevance. That is why we were always exposed to a story before a great learning or lesson at home or at school

I WOULD NOW LIKE TO BREAK THE ICE

Read on

What happens once a child hears a story. This is also applicable to a child who has neuro-developmental concerns and if the child simple listens to social story recited by a therapist or parent

A story will activate parts in the brain that allows the child to turn the story into their own idea and experience . So if you telling a story to a child about a parrot , the child might think of a parrot he  last saw and would then link his ideas

Similarly is with adults when a person talks about a story related to their life , everyone tries to think if something similar happened to them too.

Do you this amazing brain process is “Neural Coupling”

Lets jump ahead

When a child listens to the story he will not only link similar ideas but will also mimic the facial epressions and gestures of the story teller. This process is called

“ Mirroring”

So net time if you make a cat sound while telling a story about a cat , don’t miss your child making the same sound in return . This is the “ Mirroring in Action”

Most of the time children remember what they heard in a story , this is true for a social story too. Even as a special needs parents , your first intent to explain a bad consequence for an unexpected behaviour is as a story.

Why do you do this ?

Are you still thinking ?

Well , I ll throw some light now. The brain releases a chemical called “ dopamine.”

This happens as the brain listens to a story , the brain experiences an emotionally charged event, making it easier to remember and with great accuracy

So net time if you change few sequences in your story , your child can be very upset about it because he /she remembers the story quite well

So no cheating Mamma

A story will always result in an outcome . This happens because it stimulates the brain cortex activity.

The brain two areas which we all studied during our biology days “ the Broca’s speech areas and Wernick’s speech areas gets pumped .

These are involved in comprehending what we listen and make sense of it.

If a story is told in a well known fashion like with props , puppets and good visuals and voice exaggerations , it can lit and engage many other areas of the brain

Thus , story-telling becomes a good workout for the brain

All this very clearly sums up why I still remember the “ Snow white “ , “ Little Red Riding Hood “ and “ The sleeping beauty “ fairy tales.

Well now I end my story on story telling.

Hope this was quite enjoyable

Creative Efforts by and Story Reader – Heena Sahi