storytelling skills
One Everyday Therapy Activity for Storytelling Skills
Try the "What happens next?" story-building game: pause during a picture book and invite your child to guess or invent what comes next, then build on their words using sequencing words like first, then and next. Ten playful minutes a day grows vocabulary, sequencing and imagination.
The best stories aren't read to children — they're built together, one picture and one giggle at a time.
In short
Try the "What happens next?" story-building game. Sit together with a favourite picture book, pause before turning the page, and ask your child to guess or invent what comes next. This one simple habit turns reading from listening into storytelling — building vocabulary, sequencing and imagination, all in about ten minutes a day.How to play it at home
- Pick a familiar book with clear pictures. Familiar stories give your child confidence to add their own ideas.
- Pause and wonder aloud: "Oh! The puppy looks worried... what do you think happens next?" Wait, and let your child answer in their own words.
- Build on whatever they say. If they offer one word, you stretch it: child says "runs" — you say "Yes! The puppy runs fast to find his bone. Then what?"
- Use story-glue words — first, then, next, after that, in the end. These small words teach your child to put events in order, which is the heart of storytelling.
- Let them retell it later — at bath time or in the car — "Can you tell Nani the puppy story?" Retelling without the book is where real storytelling grows.
The science
Storytelling weaves together vocabulary, sequencing, memory and social understanding — the same language foundations that support later reading and writing. When you pause and invite your child to predict and narrate, you create back-and-forth "serve and return" exchanges that strengthen expressive language far more than passive listening. Keep it playful, follow your child's lead, and praise the trying — not the correctness.The Pinnacle way
A clinical AbilityScore® and any diagnosis are formed only at a Pinnacle Blooms Network centre under qualified clinician care — never from a home activity alone. To go deeper, explore storytelling skills, see how speech therapy builds narrative language, and learn about the AbilityScore®.Trusted sources
Guided by child-language guidance from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and developmental milestone resources from the American Academy of Pediatrics (healthychildren.org).Next step — try the "What happens next?" game tonight, and message the Pinnacle team on WhatsApp (+91 91001 81181) to learn more about supporting your child's storytelling at home.
This is general information, not a diagnosis — a clinical AbilityScore® and any diagnosis are formed only at a Pinnacle Blooms Network centre under qualified clinician care.
What to watch
Watch for your child stretching from single words to short ordered sentences, and using story-glue words like 'then' and 'next' on their own. If by age 4–5 your child rarely joins in, struggles to sequence events, or shows little interest in stories across settings, mention it at a developmental check.
Try this at home
Pause before turning the page and ask 'What happens next?' — then build on whatever your child says, adding one story-glue word like 'then' or 'after that'.
Trusted sources
Developed by SETU Consortium · Pinnacle Blooms Network · Last reviewed 2026-06-10 · reviewed every 540 days
This is general information, not a diagnosis. A clinical AbilityScore® and any diagnosis are formed only at a Pinnacle Blooms Network centre, under qualified clinician care.
Frequently asked
At what age can my child start building storytelling skills?
From around age 3, children begin retelling simple events and favourite stories. Between 3 and 7 years, storytelling grows from a few ordered sentences to richer narratives with a beginning, middle and end — so this is a wonderful window to play story-building games at home.
How long should we play the story game each day?
About ten minutes is plenty. Short, playful and frequent works far better than long sessions. Follow your child's interest — if they want to keep going, lovely; if they drift, stop and try again another time.
My child gives only one-word answers. Is that a problem?
Not at all — that's exactly where you start. Gently stretch their word into a fuller sentence and add a story-glue word like 'then'. Over time, with your modelling, single words grow into longer ideas. If you remain concerned, raise it at a routine developmental check.