Milwaukee Public Library


Narrative Skills
Narrative skills is the ability to describe things and events, and to tell stories:
Engage in conversation, model good listening skills Allow children to tell their stories Encourage pretend play
Activities you can do:
Talk with your child describing things you see and feel Listen while your child talks about what he or she sees Read books that have words you might not use in ordinary conversation
0 – 2 years old
As you go through the day talk with your baby. Describe in detail things you see and experience. You might want to talk about their pink, puffy, cozy snowsuit as you are putting it on. When driving together you might want to point out things like ambulances explaining that they are on their way to help someone. Engage in creative play with your baby using toys and puppets. Look at pictures in books and describe what you see. Encourage your baby to point out things on the pages and think about what is happening.
Are You My Mother by P. D. Eastman	Big Fat Hen by Keith Baker
Black on White by Tana Hoban	Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? By Bill Martin
Dear Zoo: a lift-the-flap book by Rod Campbell	Hug by Jez Alborough
Jamberry by Bruce Degen	The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown
The Toolbox by Anne and Harlow Rockwell	Yummy Yucky by Leslie Patricelli
2 – 3 years old
When you go grocery shopping look at what you see and talk about it. You might want to point out smooth, red, and shiny apples and mention that they grow on apple trees. You may want to point out apple juice, applesauce, and apple pies. Ask your child to tell you about what they see and are curious about. Go to the library to find materials relating to those interests. Your librarian will be delighted to help you find appropriate books. Encourage your child to talk with you during creative play. Ask questions and be sure to listen to their answers carefully. Try looking at the illustrations in books with your child and discuss what you see without reading the text. Your child may enjoy interpreting things they see in books. Ask what the lion in a picture might sound like, for example.
Big Dog and Little Dog Making a Mistake by Dav Pilkey	Duck on a Bike by David Shannon
Each Peach Pear Plum by Janet Ahlberg	Froggy Gets Dressed by Jonathan London
Hands by Lois Ehlert	It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles Green Shaw
King Bidgood’s in the Bathtub by Audrey Wood	Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh
The Enormous Turnip by Kathy Parkinson	We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen
3 – 5 years old
Encourage your child to “re-tell” you stories he or she is already familiar with. Acting out stories, using toys and puppets or playing parts themselves will also increase your child’s narrative skills. Everyone will have fun bringing a story to life this way. When driving or waiting in line, ask your child to tell you the story of his or her day. Begin a conversation about events in one of your child’s favorite books. While reading a book, stop for a moment and ask your child what they think might happen. At the conclusion of the book, ask them if they were surprised by the end. Let your child choose a book he or she already knows. Let him or her hold the book and read it to you. Your child may have memorized some of the words in the book and you want to encourage this type of “reading”. Stimulate your child’s interest in pictures. If your child is intrigued by the pictures, interest in the story will follow. When you look at a book together have your child tell you the stories the pictures tell.
Beast Feast by Douglas Florian	Caps for Sale: a tale of a peddler, some monkeys, and their monkey business by Esphyr Slobodkina
Doctor De Soto by William Steig	Each Peach Pear Plum by Janet Ahlberg
Frog and Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobel	I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato by Lauren Child
Skinny Brown Dog by Kimberly Willis Holt	The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss
The Wide Mouthed Frog by Keith Faulkner	When Dinosaurs Came With Everything by Elise Broach