Never Too Early is Telling the Story: Building Imagination and Storytelling Through Early Literacy Deb Norris May 5, 2025

This is a NEW Never Too Early course for early educators of all levels! This training centers on using picture books and imaginative activities to nurture children’s storytelling abilities and strengthen foundational early literacy skills. Participants will explore techniques for asking open-ended questions and inviting children to co-create stories. Educators will also learn how to draw on children’s ideas and language to develop class books, and storytelling circles. Participants will also reflect on how to encourage children to share stories from their own lives, families, and cultures. Participants will receive a set of picture books and other resources to use in their practice. This class aligns with Vermont’s early learning standards and supports the state’s commitment to high-quality, developmentally appropriate early literacy education. Young children are natural storytellers. Whether through dramatic play, drawing, or dictation, they express their understanding of the world by shaping and sharing stories. When educators are equipped to support and extend these storytelling moments, children develop critical early literacy abilities: narrative structure, vocabulary, sequencing, and expressive language. Just as importantly, they also build self-confidence, social-emotional awareness, and the capacity for creative thinking.