Learning stories: what they are, and how stories help children learn

Learning stories in early childhood education

If you are a teacher or you work in early years, you may know learning stories as a way of recording how young children learn. The approach grew up in New Zealand, developed by Margaret Carr and colleagues alongside the Te Whāriki early childhood curriculum, and it has spread to classrooms and nurseries in many countries since.

Instead of a checklist of skills, a teacher writes a short story about something a child did: the afternoon Ava kept rebuilding her block tower until it stood, say. The story notices what the child was learning, like persistence or problem solving, often includes a photo, and suggests what might come next. Families read it and add their own voice. What we love about it is that it treats children as capable learners with a story of their own, which is exactly where we start too.

Why children learn through stories

Long before there were schools or worksheets, people taught their children with stories. Fables about clever animals, tales of heroes, songs that held the way home. There is a reason it worked. A fact on its own is something to remember. The same fact happening to a character you care about is something you feel, and feelings are what make memories stick.

Stories also give an idea a reason to exist. Counting is just counting, until the hero needs to count the stepping stones to cross the river before the tide comes in. Then it matters, and a child leans in to help.

Curriculum based stories: when the lesson is in the plot

A curriculum based story takes something a child is learning at school and puts it inside the adventure. The best ones never stop to lecture. The idea is the problem the hero has to solve, so understanding it is how the story moves forward.

Different subjects want different kinds of story. A machine is best understood by taking it apart, so the hero might rebuild a broken windmill piece by piece. A habit like kindness is best understood by living it, so the hero has to choose what to do when a friend is left out. See how each subject is taught its own way.

STEM stories for kids

Science, technology, engineering and maths are where stories can do the most good, because these are the subjects children most often decide they are “not good at”. A story lets them try the idea without the pressure of getting it right. Why does the ice melt faster in the sun? How do you build a bridge strong enough for an elephant? How many cookies does each friend get if the hero shares them out fairly?

Two things to look out for. The science should be right, and the numbers should add up. And the child should get to do the thinking, not just watch the hero do it.

Helping a story’s lesson stick

A few simple habits make a big difference. Pause before the hero solves the problem and ask what your child would try. Talk about the story the next day, in the car or over breakfast. And ask a question or two at the end, kindly and without any pressure, to see what stayed with them. A wrong answer is not a failure. It is the most interesting part of the conversation.