Storytelling Play at a Kindergarten in Berceni: How to Make Up Stories with Your Child at Home
When you create a story together with your child, you often begin with a simple idea and, without even planning it, arrive in an entire world of new words, patterns, life values, and hypothetical situations. Your child gives direction to the narrative, while you guide them through questions. You add those splashes of color to the story, and your child decides what happens next. At Iepurașul Bocănilă Kindergarten in Berceni, we also create stories together with children every day because creativity is, for us, one of the most effective educational tools.
But this narrative thinking, even though it may seem like a simple form of play, is actually a process that trains some of the child’s most important abilities: imagination, expression, vocabulary, empathy, and logical thinking. Your role is not to control the story, but to allow it to develop spontaneously. Be present, attentive, and open to the surprises your child may bring along the way.
How We Develop Narrative Thinking at Iepurașul Bocănilă Kindergarten in Berceni Through Story Creation
Educators at Iepurașul Bocănilă Kindergarten in Berceni observe daily the positive impact of narrative activities on children’s cognitive development and expressive abilities. Our colleagues’ practical observations are supported by recent research in the field of educational psychology, which highlights the essential role of symbolic play and storytelling in building mental frameworks and developing early language skills.
When you and your child create a story together, you actively contribute to the development of their narrative skills. You help them learn how to organize ideas and structure sequences of events. According to a study by early childhood education researchers Nicolopoulou and Trapp (2018), children who create and tell stories develop a richer vocabulary and a deeper understanding of causal relationships within narratives.¹ In other words, they learn that actions have consequences. The researchers show that this type of activity stimulates executive functions, including planning abilities and working memory, precisely because a story requires coherence, structure, and logical construction.
Moreover, when children take on the role of storyteller, they learn to organize their thoughts and build a clear narrative structure. When you actively support them by asking questions, adding details, and responding to their story, their narrative abilities improve with each new tale they create. In this way, playing the role of storyteller becomes a powerful and complex tool for cognitive development.
The story – A Safe Space for Emotional Expression
Children do not always tell you directly what they feel. More often, they showyou through an imaginary character, a proposed ending, or a conflict that you notice they keep repeating. Stories therefore become a channel for indirect emotional expression and a form of self-reflection that is accessible to their age and stage of development.
According to psychologist Stephen Snow, who specializes in art therapy, collaborative storytelling helps children create a symbolic space where they feel free to project fears, desires, or misunderstandings.² This process can be therapeutic not only because it provides emotional release, but also because it allows you to observe and understand your child’s inner experiences without asking them to express everything directly.
Even during activities at our Iepurașul Bocănilă Kindergarten in Berceni, many children find it easier to express themselves through characters rather than through direct conversations with educators. By creating stories, your child can transform a difficult-to-manage emotion into a narrative thread over which they have control. If, as a parent, you remain attentive to the way they build their story, you will gain a better understanding of what concerns them and how they perceive the world around them.
Role Play and Narrative Development: Strategies for Co-Creating Stories
You do not need to be a writer to create a story. You simply need to be present. Sit next to your child, begin with a simple sentence (“Once upon a time there was a little dog that…”), and let the story unfold naturally. Role play and narrative improvisation are accessible ways for children to learn how to create, improvise, and explore ideas without the fear of making mistakes.
A study published in Early Child Development and Care (2020) shows that parents’ participation in storytelling play stimulates children’s initiative and cognitive flexibility.³ More specifically, when you become actively involved, your child feels encouraged to take the lead, introduce unexpected turns in the story, and explore different roles—from narrator and character to creator of the imaginary setting.
The stories we create spontaneously at Iepurașul Bocănilă Kindergarten in Berceni undoubtedly help children improve their ability to express themselves from one day to the next. Our educators begin with an image or an object and allow children to build new worlds, giving a voice to their thoughts and wishes.
In the same way, collaborative storytelling also strengthens the bond between you and your child. What matters is not the story you create together, but how you listen to each other and respond to each other’s contributions to the narrative. It is a simple exercise in presence and empathy that requires nothing more than attention and openness.
Invented Stories Develop Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills
A good story always contains a conflict—a challenge, a mystery, or an obstacle. The way a child chooses to solve these imagined situations offers valuable insight into how they practice critical thinking. When you ask, “What would you do if you were in the character’s place?”, you are not only engaging them in the story, but also encouraging them to find solutions to the character’s problems and explore different perspectives.
Research conducted by early childhood education specialists Isbell and Exposito (2021) shows that creating stories stimulates flexible thinking, analytical skills, and confidence in one’s own decisions.⁴ Every time your child comes up with an alternative idea, suggests a surprising solution to a conflict in the story, or changes the ending, they are practicing exactly those cognitive processes that will be valuable later in adult life.
At Iepurașul Bocănilă Kindergarten in Berceni, we ask children every day what alternative solutions they can imagine for the conflicts in a story, what they would do if they were in the characters’ place, or what consequences they believe the characters’ actions might have. It is a form of training in exploring moral and ethical dilemmas, helping children learn about responsibility and the impact of their choices. And when we encourage them to tell their stories out loud, we gain another valuable benefit: clearer, more confident, and more expressive communication.
Imagination thrives on freedom and curiosity. When you give your child the space to invent, think independently, and become involved in storytelling, they grow and develop. They learn to express their ideas, strengthen their lateral thinking skills, and gain confidence in their own voice.
At Iepurașul Bocănilă Kindergarten in Berceni we treat the stories invented by children as valuable exercises in critical thinking and collaboration with their classmates. Every story we create together with the children is a demonstration of authentic expression and personal creativity. And sometimes, a simple “once upon a time” can open paths of discovery that are far more engaging than a traditional lesson taught at the board.
References:
¹ Nicolopoulou, A., & Trapp, S. (2018). Narrative Interventions in Early Childhood Education. Review of Research in Education, 42(1), 252–277.
² Snow, S. (2016). Theoretical Approaches in Drama Therapy. Charles C. Thomas Publisher.
³ Mages, W. K. (2020). Adult Participation in Young Children’s Pretend Play and Storytelling: A Review. Early Child Development and Care, 190(5), 687–701.
⁴ Isbell, R., & Exposito, S. (2021). Storytelling and Critical Thinking: How Storytelling Helps Children Solve Problems. Creative Education Press.
