Story-telling for learning success

Our brains are naturally wired for stories (Haven, K., 2007). Stories light up different parts of our brain, working with language, emotions, and senses, which is a lot more effective than isolated facts. This connection helps us remember and organize information better. By adding context and tapping into our feelings, stories boost our ability to recall memories.

To prove the usefulness of storytelling, do the following quick activity:

Step 1 : Take a look at this list of 10 words. Read through them only once:

List:

Shrimp

Octopus

Honey

Unicorn

Cube

Balloon

Helmet

Flute

Banana

Fire

Now close your eyes and try to recall them all. Write down how many you can recall. How difficult did you find recalling items?

Try to recall that list tomorrow. Without the story, it’d be a lot harder since it would just be in your short-term memory, but remembering those words should be a breeze because you can "walk through the story" in your head. Your brain makes connections and stores them for later.

Storytelling recall become much more powerful when you use visualization to engage your senses.

Picture the cold water splashing on your skin and the way it feels heavy around you while you tread on the sand on the ocean floor.

When Octopus stumbles upon a flute, imagine those terrible screeches it makes when it hits a wrong note. Also, visualize the blue squid ink comically shooting out of Octopus' nose, creating an unlikely underwater spark that starts to burn. Smell that warm honey melting and feel a big, soft cube of cheese in your hand that`s grossly sticking between your fingers. Once you visualize and engage your senses, remembering the details afterward becomes much more vivid and clear.

There's a good reason behind it. Visualization and engaging the senses light up different parts of our brains, which helps us learn and remember better (Sage Journal). When we learn through stories and add in colorful visuals and sensory details, it’s like building a cool “memory palace” that we can see, touch, and smell. Our brains know how and where to file these stories, which can then be incorporated into long term memory.

Both children and adults are more likely to remember and apply what they have learned when it is presented with context. Context makes things more relatable, which helps us remember and understand what we learn. With a solid understanding comes interest and passion. This is why the training materials at financefit4kids differ from traditional resources; we believe in the power of storytelling to establish relevance and help retain information in a meaningful way.

Lastly, the greatest part of a story is that if a child loves a story, they will listen to it over and over again. This kind of repetition helps you remember things and get a better grip on them without it feeling like you're actually "studying." Our approach is not to bore them into learning but to ignite a fire for learning because it's something they enjoy.