Narration is a complicated skill, requiring memory, organization, prioritizing, and many more skills. Doing oral narration takes away the stress of having to do the physical writing from a young child, so they can concentrate on composing their thoughts into a coherent message and is an important precursor to more advanced writing and composition in later school years. Unfortunately, sometimes the process gets off to a rough start and it can be hard as a parent to know what to do to help. Having done this a few times, I have some suggestions for getting started.
Short Passages
Use shorter passages for narrations. Aesop’s Fables are great for this, but even these may be too long for some kids, so just read one sentence at a time and ask, “what was that about?” and see if they can do it with very short segments and then slowly, slowly work up from there.
What is your favorite_______?
Instead of asking “tell me everything you remember about tree frogs” try “what is your favorite thing that we read about tree frogs?”. The first one is such a large ask that is can be overwhelming for them to try to organize the information to tell you about it. If “tell me your favorite” gets him talking, follow up with “what else do you remember?” and since they are already talking its easier to keep going. Slowly work up to them telling more information.
Provide a Roadmap
Another thing you can do is give the child a road map for what you are reading. Before you start go over any words he may no know, places or names to remember, etc.Use a white board or a piece of paper towrite them down to help your child remember.
Evaluate for Problems
Lastly, if things aren’t improving over time consider an evaluation with an audiologist for auditory processing challenges, especially if he tends to have long pauses before answering in general, or if he needs directions more than once or can’t do two step directions. Consider educational testing to look for other learning challenges as well.
Grace in the Process
Narration is a very complicated skill, sometimes it takes a while for them to start picking it up, but with enough exposure and little roadmap and some gentle prompts it should start happening soon! Let me know your questions or experiences in the comments!
Be Fruitful 