Mother-child Storytelling: The Role of maternal storytelling in Children's Narrative Development

What if bedtime stories were the foundation of your child's academic success?

In The Role of Maternal Storytelling in Children's Narrative Development, developmental psychologist Dr. Debra A. Harkins explores how the simple, daily act of a mother reading with her child can unlock advanced language, literacy, and critical thinking skills. Grounded in rigorous research and real-world dialogue between mothers and children, this insightful book reveals how a caregiver's education level, storytelling style, and cultural values shape a child's ability to construct coherent, emotionally rich, and cognitively organized narratives.

Whether analyzing wordless picture books, spontaneous child retellings, or maternal reading strategies, Dr. Harkins delivers a comprehensive look at how children learn to tell stories-and why it matters.

What You'll Learn:

• How maternal storytelling influences early childhood language and literacy development

• The impact of maternal education and social background on reading style and child engagement

• Differences between interactive, narrative-focused, and non-interactive storytelling patterns

• How storytelling supports school readiness, emotional intelligence, and narrative coherence

• What kinds of books, prompts, and styles help children become better storytellers and learners

• Parents and caregivers seeking to support children's early literacy

• Educators, speech-language pathologists, and early childhood researchers

• Graduate students in developmental psychology, education, and linguistics

• Anyone interested in the science of storytelling and child development

Keywords:

maternal storytelling, narrative development, early childhood education, parent-child reading, storybook analysis, language acquisition, preschool literacy, mother-child communication, interactive reading, child psychology

Turn the page on traditional literacy approaches-and discover how stories told at home shape who we become.

About the Author
Debra A. Harkins, Ph.D., is a developmental psychologist and educator whose work bridges research and practice in narrative development, parent-child interaction, and early literacy. She has spent over two decades studying how stories shape the ways children think, speak, and understand the world around them.