Using Literature and Stories

Using Literature and Stories


Children learn about responsibility through many
activities, including reading stories. They learn by
identifying with individual characters or because the message
from a favorite story strikes a particular chord. Children can
be touched deeply by good literature, and they may ask to have
things read to them again and again.

Children can learn all sorts of lessons from stories.
They might learn about courage by reading about David standing
up to Goliath. Or they might learn the value of persistence
and effort from The Little Engine That Could.

When they are older, reading can help prepare children for
the realities and responsibilities of adulthood. It is usually
better for children to read a good book about such things as
war, oppression, suicide, or deadly disease before seeing these
things up close.

When our children grow up they often remember stories that
were told to them by family members when they were young. When
we tell stories to our children, we should remember old
favorites of ours, like The Three Little Pigs, not leaving out
a single time the wolf says, "I'LL HUFF, and I'LL PUFF, and
I'LL BLOW YOUR HOUSE IN!"