Reading & Storytelling for Young Learners

At Sanctuary Early Learning Adventure, every day begins with a story.

“We choose a story specifically to enhance an interest, such as books about mums in the lead-up to Mother’s Day, or to support a need we’ve observed, like the importance of sharing and being kind,” says Sanctuary early childhood teacher, Claudia Smith.

Reading is crucial to early learning,Claudia explains, because it develops a child’s understanding of the world. “Ninety percent of brain development happens from birth to age five, and research shows that children who are read to when they’re young learn to speak, read and write more easily,” she adds. “If you read three books a day to your child from birth, they will have heard around 5,000 stories by the time they’re five years old.”

There are many proven benefits of reading to young children, including fast-tracked literacy and language skills and increased creativity and emotional intelligence. A 2012 Australian study found that children who had been read to fared much better in national literacy tests that those that did not. Another analysis of 29 studies found reading aloud to children in the early years resulted in significant positive effects for children’s language, phonological awareness, print concepts, comprehension and vocabulary.

Make Reading A Reading A Fun And Enriching Experience

For babies: “Books with black and white pictures stimulate the development of a baby’s optic nerve, teaching the eyes and brain to coordinate and function properly,” says Claudia. Multi-sensory touch-and-feel books with different textures and sounds that will be exciting for bub to explore.
For toddlers: In our previous blog, Support your child’s early learning during COVID-19, Claudia shares the benefits of reading the same book to your child every day. She also suggests letting your toddler hold the book and turn the pages themselves, discussing the illustrations on each page, and providing your littlies lots of time to explore the book at their own pace.
For pre-schoolers: “The best books have humour, suspense, imagination, stories you can join in with, repeated refrains, and classic books that have stood the test of time (in my personal experience, books about poo are very popular!)” says Claudia. “After you’ve read the story, ask your child to retell it in their own words and encourage language such as ‘once upon a time’ and ‘they all lived happily ever after’, using prepositions such as first, next, finally.”

Remember, too, that reading needn’t be limited to books. Day-to-day life is full of valuable opportunities to engage your child’s growing love of reading. “Explore the print in your environment— logos and signs, packaging, magazines, road names, number plates— words and letters are everywhere,” Claudia says. “When children recognise the logo of your favourite restaurant or local supermarket, this is all emergent reading and to be encouraged.”

Storytelling: Sharing Life Stories

Oral storytelling can also play an important part in early literacy development, and sharing your life stories with your child is especially meaningful, says Louise Phillips, an associate professor in education at James Cook University.

“It’s a lovely way to build relationships,” she explains. “Children want to know about their parents’ experiences. They can learn from you and come to know what has shaped you as a person — what has made you who they are. I tell my children my life stories and their ancestors’ stories, and they ask to hear them again at different times when new questions [about life] arise. Telling your own stories to your children provides enculturation into your family folklore.”

Not sure which life stories to share? Try to select one that attempts to resolve a problem. “For young children resolution is important as it helps to build their sense of security in the world,” says Louise. “Older children can start to appreciate cliff-hanger endings.”

Some tips to help you get started:

Create a storytelling ritual. Decide on a regular time and place with your child.
Choose a story that speaks to you. Select one you appreciate that also conveys a meaningful message.
Know the plot well. Tell it with your own words.
Use dynamic vocal, facial and body expression. Use your child’s responses to gauge if you need to be livelier. You’ll need to be more dynamic for younger children.
Actively involve your child. Let them play a special role in the story — they can play different characters, or say chants.

If it doesn’t come naturally to you at first, don’t worry. Louise says everyone has the potential to become an excellent storyteller. “Practise. Listen and draw from other storytellers. Above all else, believe in the wonder and joy of stories.”

Author: Lauren Hall

Find Sanctuary Early Learning Adventure Ashmore here.

Find Sanctuary Early Learning Adventure Buderim here.

Find Sanctuary Early Learning Adventure - Health & Knowledge Precinct here.

Find Highfields Child Care Centre here.

Find Sanctuary Early Learning Adventure Maudsland here.

Find Sanctuary Early Learning Adventure Redlynch here.

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Bottling the Moments at Sanctuary Buderim

By Lauren Hall • August 20, 2026

Welcome back to Bottling the Moments, where I take you behind the scenes of my centre visits and share some of the moments that make me smile, make me laugh and remind me why early childhood education is such a special place to be. My recent visit to our beautiful Buderim centre was all about connection. Connection with our children, our team and many of our families during pick up. Families who trust us with their children every single day. When I arrived, Cody was waiting to take me on a tour of the centre, popping into every room to say good morning to the team, and to the children. I love starting a visit this way. It gives me the chance to say hello to everyone and get a feel for what is happening across the centre before I settle in and spend time with the children. Most of my morning was spent with our littlies in Starfish and Jellyfish. I was greeted by our Jellyfish toddlers with the most beautiful smiles. Mateo and Lenny could not have been more excited to see me, and honestly, it filled my heart with joy. Being welcomed like that by our little ones is pretty special, and it was the perfect way to start my morning with them. Lunch in Jellyfish was chicken curry, and I will admit, I did not expect to be quite so impressed watching a room full of toddlers tackle it. Spoons loaded, little hands determined, they fed themselves with a level of focus and independence that had me completely captivated. I loved watching how confidently they were feeding themselves. It was another one of those everyday moments that reminds me how much learning happens throughout the entire day. I then spent some time in Starfish with our littlest ones. With only four babies there that day, I was very lucky to get plenty of smiles, cuddles and playtime with Mauve, Lola, Ayla and Oliver. Oliver is still settling into his new environment, so I was more than happy to sneak in a few extra cuddles to help him feel safe and secure. Starting care is such a big transition for our babies, and for their families too. It is such a privileged position we are in. Our families trust us with their most precious little people, and in those early days, our babies are learning to trust us too. To learn that when they need comfort, we will be there. That they are safe. That they are cared for. And eventually, that Sanctuary is a place where they belong. Being part of building that trust is pretty special. After rest time, I found myself with Turtles and Dolphins for a treasure hunt. My group was Remi, Ella, Charlie and a couple of their friends, and off we went in search of treasure. We found an ant. We found a leaf. We found some bark on a tree. And apparently, according to every single member of my group, we also saw a bird. I did not see the bird. But they were absolutely adamant it was there, and despite my best efforts to tell them I couldn't see it, I was very clearly outnumbered! It was so much fun following their excitement as they discovered each new piece of "treasure" along the way. Over in Coral, it was story time, and this one was a little bit special for me. I had brought along a couple of books from my own son Austin's collection, and the group chose A Hero Like You and Boogie Bear. They loved them. Genuinely, properly loved them, calling out, pointing, joining in with the parts they already knew by heart. I absolutely loved being able to share a couple of Austin's favourite books with the children, and seeing how much they enjoyed them made this moment extra special for me. Over in Seagulls with our kindy children, everyone was outside enjoying the beautiful sunshine and there was plenty of energy to burn, so naturally, a game of tag was the perfect choice! Before long we were running around the playground, with everyone very determined not to be caught (and equally determined to make sure Miss Lauren was!). Very quickly I had about ten children chasing me, and at one point I somehow ended up on the ground being tickled, with a few of our team looking over to make sure I was okay! There was lots of laughter, lots of running and I think it's fair to say the children had a little more energy left in the tank than I did. After all that excitement, I found a quieter spot with Austin and a few of the children who were drawing. Austin and I have shared lots of special little moments since he first started with us as a baby in Starfish, so it was lovely to sit together drawing pictures and having a chat. It was one of those beautiful little moments that reminded me just how special it is to watch our children grow. From those early nursery days to now sitting beside me in Seagulls, these are the connections I feel incredibly lucky to have. Some of my favourite moments from a visit are also connecting 1:1 with our team members, either while they are in their element in their environment with the children, where they share the exciting activities from the week, or over a cuppa or lunch in the staff retreat. I had a beautiful conversation with Josie, one of our educators, who was so curious about our other Sanctuary centres. We chatted about what makes each of them different, what they are like and some of the wonderful things happening across our wider Sanctuary community. I loved her genuine interest and curiosity. I also spent some time with Chloe for one of our Future Leaders mentoring sessions. These are conversations I absolutely love. Creating opportunities for our future leaders to reflect, grow in confidence and discover what they are capable of is one of the most rewarding parts of my role. Cody, Laura and Annie had organised a special lunch in the lunchroom so I could sit with the team on their break, away from the busyness of the rooms. We talked about everything and nothing. Everyone was buzzing about the upcoming Long Lunch, and somewhere along the way the conversation turned to what everyone was currently watching, which, if you have ever sat in a staff room, you will know is a very serious topic of debate. Moments like these matter just as much as anything that happens in the rooms. Our educators give so much of themselves every day, and getting the opportunity to sit, laugh, chat and simply connect with them is something I really treasure. As I drove home that afternoon, I found myself smiling again, not because of one big moment, but because of dozens of little ones. The excitement on Mateo and Lenny's faces. A room full of toddlers proudly feeding themselves. A bird I apparently missed. Sharing two of Austin's books with a new little audience. A beautiful conversation with Josie. Time spent with Chloe talking about her leadership journey. And a lunchroom full of laughter and excitement about our upcoming Long Lunch. These are the moments that remind me why creating the right environment matters so much. They are the moments that make Sanctuary what it is. Until next time… Lauren x