The Loss of Story in Child Development

Words are important. Words have meaning and when spoken carry meta-messages, which means there is a feeling behind the words. Likewise a picture can call up feelings and it is believed to outdo a 1000 words. But is that really so? Pictures are quite different from words and can never create that special kind of interaction that reading brings, or listening to speech and song. Words work on the brain in unique ways, and once words and the good use for them have been internalized it helps a person with the expression of words and the thinking of them. It is not possible for someone to think beyond his or her vocabulary. Intuition is indeed an option, and is much used in science, but it always has thought words as a starting point. How unfortunate then that though bombarded with words every day in modern culture with many words being used for dubious purposes by the spin doctors in advertising, politics and the like a quality interaction with meaningful words has greatly diminished, particularly so for children.

How often do children listen to a significant story being told rather than gazing at an entertaining DVD with brilliant animation? Definitely, there is a place for film and video in the development of a child. Much can be learned from these. But is the child learning to engage with words, using imagination as the narrative unfolds? In animation there is little need for imagination for the pictures are presented on the screen ready-made. With animation there is no great need to listen carefully to how the story unfolds either for most of the unfolding is shown visually anyway. In animation words are not that important. They are not needed in the description of a situation or a background. In animation descriptive and more difficult words, so essential to good storytelling, can be done away with. This is a huge loss and it works to the detriment of the child, who simply will not ever be exposed to the best of the English language.

Unfortunately, due to time restraints and a busy lifestyle, few parents find themselves in the position to sit with a child and tell a significant story, either by sheer imagination or from a book. The art of story telling is disappearing at home and in the schools. There is also the feeling that because so many stories are so well presented in film, how ever could a parent compete with that level of entertainment? A parent never can and there is no need. As explained, story telling has a quality all its own. Ideally parents and schools should get back into the telling of stories as best as possible. Particularly those that use good descriptive words, rather than books full of pictures containing a few supportive sentences. There the main focus remains on the illustrations.

Someone may well ask why there aren't more stories available in multimedia that fit between the old story telling way and modern animation - where a significant story is told by a good story teller with a number of illustrations in support. Illustrations that do not appear too quickly so the emphasis remains on language. Possibly the answer is to be found in a realization that society is under-appreciating the need for words in child development. Much interaction with children these days is focused on novelty and entertainment value. That words can be very entertaining by themselves, even to children, has been mostly forgotten.

Two of my grandchildren, Kalea and Jack, both five and already good readers because of an exposure to story and text from an early age, recently sat at the computer listening to Eloise, the Witch and the Wordsmith for two whole hours. It is a modern story for 5-9 year olds presented in multimedia in an illustrated story telling way. Jack is a run-about boy and I've never seen him sit still for that long. Kalea had viewed and listened to the story a few times before, but keeps asking for it. That to me was proof that a good story, well told and presented, is as powerful as the best film and probably a lot more educational. The multimedia presentation of Eloise, the Witch and the Wordsmith is based on the reasons given above.

Michael Spyker MA
www.Kid-Ebook-Stories.com