Here's What To Do
Think of a story about your child’s life that you’d like to share. It can be something funny or special that captures something about who they are, or just an experience that you remember that brings a smile to your face.
When telling the story, be sure to include when and where the story took place, who was there, and what happened. If you have photos or special mementos related to your story, show them to your child as you share!
Ask your child to identify the beginning, middle, and end of your story.
Invite your child to take ideas from the story in the past and connect it to their life. They can tell another story to you if they'd like!
Put PEER Into Action
Pause:
- Have your child sit in your lap or close to you.
Engage:
- While you tell your story, share the emotions you or your child felt during the experience (love, excitement, happiness, closeness, gratitude etc.).
- After you share your story, ask your child to retell the beginning, middle, and ending of your story in their own words.
Encourage:
- "Does this story remind you of anything going on in your life today?"
- If your story inspires your child to tell another story about their life, encourage them to tell a story back to you, and prompt them for details.
Reflect:
- Ask: “what was your favorite part of our storytelling time?
Not quite ready?
Your child may only be able to retell short, basic parts of stories about their lives; over time as they hear the story again and retell it multiple times they will be able to add more details
Ready for more?
Ask your child to tell a story to a sibling, family member, or friend.
As your child masters this skill...
They will be able to retell stories about themselves in the right sequence with details.