Reading is a stationary activity. It’s silent and still, not requiring much from children. However, a profound and active transformation is happening in their minds throughout.
Whether it’s animals discovering the power of friendship or a rabbit learning about the importance of humility, children’s minds actively alter when they read children’s books. Acting as their first exposure to the world, these materials must only convey essential values. This is precisely why authors ensure that moral lessons are incorporated into a story, using fiction to teach right from wrong.
The Science Behind Story-Based Learning for Children
Beyond parables and fables warning or often scaring children into acting nice, books equipped with moral stories for children have an immense impact on their behaviors.
They say children learn best with a demonstration—children’s books variously offer this.
Before they can fully grasp the world’s concepts, children are read bedtime stories. These develop not only their imagination but also their understanding of how things work, cementing clear-cut examples of what society expects from them in terms of thoughts and behaviors.
Why Are Stories with Morals Important?
Meaningful fiction writing engages children’s senses.
This creates a sensory experience that helps children’s comprehension and retention. This means that when exposed to effective storytelling, children don’t only remember what happens but also figure out and understand why things happened the way they did in stories. They can connect situations, behaviors, and outcomes, giving them a clear view of causes and effects and teaching them which behaviors to practice and which to avoid.
When children read, they don’t only imagine the story unfolding. Instead, they also internalize lessons and values incorporated in the story through the characters. In fact, when they’re crafted well enough, children may even find characters they resonate with and embody how they act in real life.
This puts a lot of pressure on authors to deliver such effectiveness. So, how do they do so?
How to Incorporate Moral Lessons into a Story?
According to scholastic studies, even just 20 minutes of reading already exposes children to 1.8 million words. However, this goes beyond vocabulary building and shapes children’s identities and perceptions of others and the world.
Children’s books contribute massively to children’s development. This is why authors must also put in the effort to craft them effectively.
Author Catherine Shelby Hale has showcased her mastery in incorporating moral lessons into a story. In her book Stories by Grammygirl, the author ensures that every part of the book has a life lesson integrated. She has woven perseverance, talent, love, and kindness into her book, making it the perfect example of teaching morals through storytelling.
How did she do it?
Start with a Message: What Should Children Learn?
There are a lot of values to teach children, but authors can’t incorporate a lot in a single story—this can make them confusing. Hence, to effectively incorporate moral lessons into a story, authors must start by identifying a lesson they wish to teach. It’s also essential they choose one that’s age-appropriate. Choose something that the audience will understand and apply in real life.
Many psychologists have established a proper categorization for this.
For instance, in the moral realism stage (at ages 2-7), it’s age-appropriate for children to understand basic rule-setting and obedience. They may already grasp the concept of consequences, making it an important lesson to impart in books for this audience. Authors can start with basic themes such as honesty and kindness for the younger readers.
Build the Characters: Who Should Children Be Rooting for?
As mentioned above, when reading stories, children can pick a character they can relate to and have a phase where they will embody this figure’s traits. This is why it’s vital for authors to only create characters that are clearly on the right or wrong. Morally gray characters, as much as they’re enjoyable for young adults, can be mistaken as role models for children.
Authors should approach profile building with caution. Ensure these characters won’t be mistaken for good or bad by children. Not to mention, they should also be relatable. This way, children can easily connect with them, aiding the whole teaching process.
Weave the Morals: How Would Children Learn Right from Wrong?
When it comes to incorporating moral lessons, authors must teach without preaching.
This means they should learn how to show and not tell. Learning about the importance of a value is more effective when children see why they matter. Hence, actions and their appropriate consequences or rewards should reveal the lesson—authors shouldn’t be explaining them, or they’ll risk having the most significant lesson fly past children’s minds.
Cement the Lesson: How Will Children Remember the Lesson?
Getting the point across and truly imparting something children will remember and apply in life are two separate things. Compelling narration can do the former, but writing meaningful and relatable stories will deliver the latter.
Authors don’t only have to consider whether they’re creating adorable characters or simplifying narratives. Instead, they must ensure they’re writing meaningful challenges that will drive and reinforce the lesson.
Keep It Fun: Will Children Enjoy and Keep Reading?
While incorporating moral lessons in the story is the whole point of this article, authors still have to remember they’re writing for children. This means they have to find the right balance of entertainment and education. They should steer clear from only making characters good and kind, that runs the risk of the story becoming preachy.
Instead, they should embellish stories and characters with humor or fantasy to engage with their audience’s creativity and imagination.
Remember: Stories are meant to entertain and teach, not only lecture.
Keep Them Reminded: Is the Lesson Reinforced Enough?
The lesson is only one fraction of the story. Readers should still be exposed to a fun adventure and equally enjoyable characters. While entertaining, this can also make stores lose their essence. Hence, authors must reinforce the moral points of the story. They should add subtle reminders throughout the narrative through dialogues and symbolism.
Listed above are the essential tips that build a potent checklist authors should follow when writing effective children’s books. These and more are things they can take inspiration from to help center their stories with strong moral themes. To read a perfect example, grab a copy of Catherine Shelby Hale’s Stories by Grammygirl, a tale filled with moral stories for children.
