The oral tradition of telling stories is the oldest way we have of passing on human history to each other and making sense of our lives, for example every age and culture tells its own creation story. As Michael Rosen so brilliantly described in the ‘What Makes us Human?’ series on Radio 2 last week, it is history, or more precisely the telling of that history, that makes us human.

A job interview is the story of our skills, a chat with the cashier is the story of our day and a child at play tells the story of their imagination.

Narrative skills in children, the ability to sequence ideas together correctly to tell a story, are essential for academic success. For some children this is difficult and can affect their literacy development and ability to socialise with others as they are unable to share their experiences with their peers in a cohesive way. Parents and teachers can support a child’s narrative skills by: • Embracing family literacy as a part of everyday routines. Regular exposure to stories and books helps a child understand the features of narrative structures and the more formal style of language used in storytelling.