This book is based on the power of stories to support children in all areas of their lives. It examines the role narratives can play in encouraging growth in contexts and domains such as personal and family identity, creative movement, memory and self-concept, social relationships, or developing a sense of humor. Each chapter describes innovative and research-based applications of narratives such as movement stories, visual narratives to develop historical thinking, multimodal storytelling, bibliotherapy, mathematics stories, family stories, and social narratives. The chapters elaborate on the strength of narratives in supporting the whole child in diverse contexts from young children on the autism spectrum improving their social skills at school, to four- and five-year-olds developing historical thinking, to children who are refugees or asylum-seekers dealing with uncertainty and loss. Written by accomplished teachers, researchers, specialists, teaching artists and teacher educators from several countries and backgrounds, the book fills a gap in the literature on narratives.

"...this work delves into the topic of narratives in young children's lives with a breadth of topics and depth of study not found elsewhere."

"Collectively, the insights of the contributors build a convincing case for emphasizing story across the various disciplines and developmental domains of the early childhood years."

"The writing style is scholarly, yet accessible. Authors used a wide array of visual material to make their points clearer and show the reader what meaningful uses of story "look like"."

Mary Renck Jalongo, Journal and Book Series Editor Springer

Indiana, PA, USA

Inhalt

1. Introduction: The Strength of Stories; K**erry Jo Kerry-Moran & Juli-Anna Aerila.- SECTION ONE: HEARING CHILDREN'S VOICES.- 2. Personal Stories: Autobiographical Memory and Young Children's Stories of Their Own Lives;   Mary Renck Jalongo.- 3. Increasing Well-being and Giving Voice through Storycrafting to Children who are Refugees, Immigrants, or Asylum Seekers; Liisa Karlsson, Minna Lähteenmäki & Anna-Leena Laastikka.- 4. Who Am I? Shaping Young Children's Identities Through Everyday Narratives; Anna-Maija Puroila.- 5. Young Children's Humorous Stories: A Force for Positive Emotions; Eleni Loizou & Anthia Michaelides.- 6. Story Circles: Supporting Boys´ Social and Emotional Worlds in School; Erin Elizabeth Flynn.- 7. Action Telling Method: From Storytelling to Crafting the Future; Jonna Kangas & Jyrki Reunamo.- SECTION TWO: RECOGNIZING AND APPLYING STORIES.- 8. Understanding Stories as Multimodal Experiences in Young Children's Development; Marilyn J. Narey.- 9. Scaffolding Children's Narrative Comprehension Skills in Early Education and Home Settings; Anu Kajamies, Janne Lepola & Aino Mattinen.- 10. Historical Thinking in the Early Years: The Power of Image and Narrative; Laura Arias-Ferrar, Alejandro Egea-Vivancos & Linda S. Levstik.- 11. Bringing Mathematics Alive through Stories; Vince Natthapoj, Juli-Anna Aerila & Sari Yrjänäinen.- 12. Using Stories to Encourage Optimal Physical Development; Jennifer Butz & Stanton A. Hancock, III.- SECTION THREE: HOLISTICALLY SUPPORTING CHILDREN'S WELLBEING.- 13. Stories as Social Narratives for Students Identified with Autism Spectrum Disorder; Christan Grygas Coogle, Jennifer R. Ottley & Anne L. Larson.- 14. Children's Stories Supporting the Development of Critical Literacy and Intercultural Sensitivity; Jaana Pesonen.- 15. Supporting Children's Social and Emotional Growth through Developmental Bibliotherapy; Pirjo Suvilehto, Kelli Jo Kerry-Moran & Juli-Anna Aerila.- 16. Move Me a Story: Augmenting Story Genres with Creative Movement; James Bowyer & Ben Munisteri.- 17. Arts-Based Activities and Stories Convey Children's Learning Experiences; Juli-Anna Aerila, Marja-Leena Rönkkö & Satu Grönman.- 18. The Tales That Bind Us: Family Stories in Young Children's Development; Kelli Jo Kerry-Moran.