Can Stories Build Resilience in Children?

by Isabelle, Yuk-Yi Liauw and Kelly-Ann Allen

Resilience is the ability to overcome adversity and experience positive outcomes despite the adverse event or situation (Vella & Pai, 2019). From a developmental perspective, resilience is an extremely important character trait (Masten & Barnes, 2018).

Storytelling connects participants with characters authentically and helps them process complex concepts, including resilience (Olson et al., 2021), meaningfully on a personal level (Suzuki et al., 2018).

A new review, The Impact of Storytelling on Building Resilience in Children: A Systematic Review, provides a comprehensive overview of storytelling's various forms and impact on fostering resilience in children. It synthesizes findings from 11 studies published between 2012 and 2022.

A Story We All Know

8-year-old Sarah faced the daunting challenge of moving to a new town. This transition brought along a whirlwind of emotions—fear of the unknown, anxiety about making new friends, and the sadness of leaving behind familiar faces. However, amidst this uncertainty, her mother did one thing that became her guiding light—storytelling. Exploring tales of courage, perseverance, and hope helped Sarah build her resilience.

Primary school children face a plethora of challenges, from low self-esteem and bullying, to learning and academic difficulties (Giles-Kaye et al., 2023). The development of resilience—the ability to overcome adversity, leading to positive outcomes (Masten & Barnes, 2018)—is a crucial trait in child development, especially considering the negative impact of COVID-19 on children (Damayanti et al., 2024). Resilience aligns with Seligman’s (2018) PERMA model by fostering positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment, supported by the enhancement of character strengths such as hope, bravery, and perseverance (Niemiec & Pearce, 2021; de la Fuente et al., 2022; Azañedo et al., 2021). And one powerful avenue to achieve this is the art of storytelling.

The Backstory

Stories of bravery, perseverance, and hope can inspire and cultivate strengths in children; stories stimulate children’s imagination and creativity, enabling them to adapt and discover new ways to cope with adversity; and stories encourage children to experience different perspectives and emotions, and encourage discussion and reflection on character interactions, fostering empathy and social intelligence, allowing them to develop a supportive social network, a key protective factor of resilience (Ramamurthy et al., 2024).

Story Time

Storytelling serves as a bridge for children to explore and share their thoughts, process emotions, and derive meaning from challenging situations. But what does this approach actually entail? The following steps highlighted by Ramamurthy et al. (2024) detail the key stages and strategies for you to try with your little ones, one-on-one.

Step One: Curating Diverse, Age-Appropriate Stories

Introduce a variety of narratives that reflect different cultures, experiences, and emotions. By exposing children to diverse perspectives, they can develop empathy, broaden their understanding of the world, and find parallels between their own challenges and those in stories. As an example, the Chinese folktale of Mulan follows the protagonist’s journey as she takes her father’s place in the military. Mulan is a role model, exemplifying courage, perseverance, hope, and creativity, and the story delves into the themes of patriarchy, gender roles, and filial piety. Stories that resonate on a cultural, social, or personal level make them particularly effective (Ramírez-Esparza & Pennebaker, 2006). Curate stories that incorporate a range of positive character strengths and themes.

Age should also be considered. Preschoolers (3-5 years) would benefit from stories with simpler plots and characters, allowing the participant to engage in interactive storytelling, asking questions and predicting what happens next, improving their cognitive skills and fostering creativity; early school-age children (6-8 years) can handle more complex stories that include relatable characters, allowing them to explore challenges and develop empathy, social intelligence and problem-solving skills; middle childhood participants (9-12 years) could explore more abstract concepts and moral dilemmas, encouraging critical thinking. The ability to put themselves in the characters’ shoes and understand metaphors facilitates identification of issues and helps children explore their own challenges in a less direct and confrontational way (Ruini et al., 2022).

Step Two: Creating a Safe Space for Storytelling

Establish a nurturing environment where children feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and emotions when discussing the stories or sharing their own experiences. Encourage open dialogue and active listening to validate their experiences and foster trust (Mutambo et al., 2021). Mindfulness practices, such as deep breathing and guided visualisation can help children centre themselves and regulate their emotions, allowing them to enhance their focus on the stories (Milaré et al., 2021).

Resilience Essential Reads

How to Grow Kids Into Happy, Resilient Adults

How to Feel Grounded in an Uncertain World

Step Three: Engage in Reflective Discussions

During, or even after storytelling sessions, facilitate discussions that encourage children to reflect on the lessons learned, identify strategies for coping with challenges, and express their emotions in a safe and supportive space. This could also be an opportunity for children to share their own stories. Whether through drawing, writing, or verbal expression, this process allows them to reflect on their experiences, articulate their feelings, and build a sense of agency over their own narratives (Wood et al, 2012). In the case that the child has had earlier adverse childhood experiences, for this participatory approach to storytelling, it is best to collaborate with mental health professionals, experts in child psychology, to ensure the child’s safety and to meet their specific resilience-building needs (Mendoza & Bradley, 2021).

Resolution

Storytelling is no panacea—certain factors out of our control can come into play when it comes to resilience, such as genetics (Maul et al., 2020), the environment (Masten & Barnes, 2018), family dynamics, and social contexts (Schafer, 2022). However, incorporating storytelling into interactions with children is a well-researched approach that allows children to build resilience, empowering them to navigate life’s challenges (Ramamurthy et al., 2024). At the very least, storytelling is an entertaining way to connect with children—that in itself can build resilience (Mutambo et al., 2021).

About the Author

This blog post was created for The Psychology of Wellbeing and Human Flourishing, Graduate Diploma of Professional Psychology, Monash University by Isabelle, Yuk-Yi Liauw, Monash University ilia0003@student.monash.edu, isabelle.liauw@gmail.com with support by Kelly-Ann Allen.