Teaching Narration with Visual Aids

Narration is important for pre-writers because it lays a foundation for future writing skills by developing a child’s understanding, vocabulary, expression, and storytelling abilities. If a child learns to narrate early on, writing a story, summary, or short essay will eventually be an easy (and even fun!) task.

One of our favorite ways to practice these pre-writing skills is during playtime with visual aids. Visuals enhance the learning experience and make the narration seem like a game.

How to Teach Narration

Begin by reading or telling your child a story, and then ask questions about what happened. As your child’s abilities increase, ask them to retell the story back to you–summarizing the plot and main points.

My kids particularly like retelling stories during a homemade “puppet shows.”

{FREE Three Little Kitten story printables}

Educator Susan Wise Bauer recommends that kids retell stories using complete sentences and as they do, you should write down their narration and read it back to them. When they hear their “writing,” they may choose to clarify or add more detail. Eventually they’ll be able to write down their own narrations.

Build your child’s pre-writing skills by exploring more fun storytime visuals!