Teaching children science through storytelling combined with hands-on activities – a successful instructional strategy?

Previous studies have discussed the applicability of stories and practical activities when young children learn about science. However, few studies have investigated the combined use of the two activities. This study reports the experiences of five pre-school teachers when combining stories and practical activities in science lessons and the perceived effects of the combination. The research questions were (1) How is the combination of stories and practical activities experienced by pre-school teachers? (2) How important is the combination of stories and practical activities for the children, according to the pre-school teachers?

Some found the combination of methods important, while others believed that practical activities were effective in themselves, without the use of storytelling. The teachers’ satisfaction in using the combined method and their appreciation of the story also made a difference.

The researcher interviewed five pre-school teachers who used stories as a teaching method. The interviews lasted between 30-60 minutes and were both recorded and transcribed. In addition, the researcher observed the storytelling sessions the pre-school teachers had with the children. The teachers were recruited through different networks, and all came from different cities in Sweden. The selection criteria were that the educators had used the story about Berta and that they had carried out pedagogical experiments in the past. Six children aged six years old joined each teacher at the research centre to conduct the experiment.

Walan, S. (2019). «Teaching children science through storytelling combined with hands-on activities – a successful instructional strategy?». Education, 3-13, 47(1):34-46.