Storytelling is a powerful way for children to build language, imagination, emotional expression, and social communication skills. For children with autism or other developmental differences, storytelling can also support expressive language, sequencing, shared attention, and conversation development.
Fortunately, storytelling doesn’t require fancy materials or rehearsed scripts. With simple household items, daily routines, and a little creativity, families can turn ordinary moments into meaningful language-learning opportunities.
This guide explores engaging, practical, and developmentally supportive ways to practice storytelling at home, helping children strengthen communication skills while enjoying quality time with the people they love.
Why Storytelling Matters for Communication
Storytelling supports a wide range of developmental skills, including:
- Sequencing and understanding what happens first, next, and last
- Vocabulary building through exposure to new words and phrases
- Perspective-taking, especially when exploring what characters think or feel
- Creative thinking, encouraging kids to imagine possibilities
- Social communication, such as turn-taking, commenting, and asking questions
- Narrative structure, a foundational skill for school success
For children receiving speech or ABA therapy, including families supported by Heartwise Support, storytelling also helps generalize communication skills beyond structured sessions into everyday life.
1. Use Picture Books, But Read Them Differently
Instead of simply reading the text, picture books can become powerful tools for interactive storytelling.
Try these variations:
“Look and Tell” Stories
Cover the text and ask your child to tell the story just by looking at the pictures. This encourages expressive language, inference, and creativity.
Fill-in-the-Blank Storytelling
Pause during a repeated line or predictable pattern: “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, what do you…?” Let your child fill in the missing word.
Predict the Ending
Before turning a page, ask: “What do you think will happen next?” This teaches anticipation, logic, and sequencing.
2. Turn Favorite Toys into Characters
Toys naturally lend themselves to storytelling, especially for kids who love cars, dinosaurs, dolls, or action figures.
Ideas to try:
- Create a mini adventure: “The dinosaur lost his snack. Where should he look first?”
- Tell a story during play: Narrate the characters’ thoughts, feelings, and actions aloud.
- Let your child take the lead: Follow their ideas and expand on them with descriptive language.
Using toys makes storytelling relatable and fun, especially for children who prefer hands-on activities.
3. Create Story Stones or Story Cards
These simple tools give kids visual support while encouraging creativity.
Story Stones
Use small stones and draw simple pictures on them (or use stickers): animals, emotions, foods, places, weather, vehicles.
Your child pulls a few stones from a bag and creates a story that includes each element.
Story Cards
Make homemade cards with categories like:
- Characters
- Settings
- Problems
- Emotions
- Objects
Pull one from each category and build a silly or serious story together. This activity builds flexible thinking and storytelling structure.
4. Tell Stories About Your Day
Everyday routines are full of story-worthy moments.
Try the “First–Then–Next–Last” model: “First we ate breakfast, then we went to the park, next we played on the slides, and last we came home.”
For children who benefit from visuals, draw quick pictures or use photos from your phone to support recall.
This strengthens memory, sequencing, and conversational skills and makes after-school or dinner-time conversations more meaningful.
5. Make Up Stories During Daily Routines
Some of the best storytelling moments happen during transitions and quiet moments.
Examples:
- In the car: “Let’s make a story about where this big truck is going.”
- During bath time: “The bubbles are actually a snowstorm—who lives in the snowy world?”
- Before bed: “Tell me the bedtime story tonight. Pick a character and I’ll help.”
Routine-based storytelling helps children practice language in familiar contexts, boosting confidence.
6. Build a Story with Household Objects
Grab random items from around the house, like a spoon, sock, key, toy car, button, or crayon and place them in a basket.
Ask your child to pick 3–5 items and create a story that includes each one. The stranger the combination, the funnier the story!
This encourages flexible thinking, creativity, and vocabulary expansion.
7. Use Music to Inspire Storytelling
Songs often tell stories and can inspire your child to create their own.
You can try these ideas:
- Play a favorite instrumental song and ask, “What story does this sound like?”
- Pause a song during a storytelling moment and ask, “What do you think happens next?”
- Use the rhythm to sequence a story: beginning, middle, end.
Music helps children regulate, focus, and express emotion, making it a powerful narrative tool.
8. Co-Create Digital Storybooks
If your child enjoys screens, turn technology into an educational storytelling tool.
Use simple apps like:
- Book Creator
- Story Creator
- Pictello
- Toontastic
Take photos of daily activities or play scenes, record your child’s voice, and arrange pages to create a personal storybook.
Digital storytelling helps children develop expressive language, sequencing, and articulation skills in a highly motivating format.
9. Act Out Stories with Movement
Storytelling doesn’t have to be quiet or still. Some children learn best when their whole body is engaged.
Try:
- Acting out characters (animals, superheroes, emotions)
- Using gestures to represent story details
- Turning favorite books into “mini plays”
Movement-based storytelling supports comprehension, imitation, and social engagement.
10. Practice Storytelling with Heartwise Strategies
For families receiving ABA or speech therapy services from Heartwise Support, storytelling can be aligned with ongoing goals like:
- Expanding sentence length
- Increasing spontaneous language
- Practicing WH-questions
- Improving conversational turn-taking
- Developing emotional awareness
- Strengthening play and imagination
Therapists can also provide individualized storytelling tools tailored to your child’s learning style, communication level, and developmental goals.
Making Storytelling a Natural Part of Home Life
Storytelling doesn’t need to feel like homework. It’s naturally woven into conversations, routines, and play. The key is to keep it fun, low-pressure, and aligned with your child’s interests.
Even a few minutes of daily storytelling helps build communication skills that support academic success, social interactions, and confidence.
With creativity, patience, and connection, storytelling becomes a way for children to express themselves, share their experiences, and connect with the people who matter most.
Ready to Support Your Child’s Communication Skills?
If you’d like guidance on using storytelling or other play-based strategies to strengthen your child’s language and social communication, ABA therapy in Nebraska like Heartwise Support is here to help. Our compassionate team provides individualized ABA therapy built around meaningful learning, family involvement, and real-world skill development.
Contact Heartwise today to learn how our therapists can support your child’s growth and help your family build stronger communication at home.
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