So first we must answer the question: “What is a short story?” According to writer To Hoai: “A short story is a way to cut a piece of life. In other words, a short story is a story told in prose, concise, concise and focused on a certain situation or topic.
In today’s favorable conditions, it is not difficult to find short stories in English for all ages. English short stories not only appear in regular paper books but are also improved through forms such as e-books, storytelling videos,…
(Here insert pictures of some short story sources)
Types of English short stories
Some genres of short stories include myths, legends, fables, folk tales, fairy tales…
Myths are stories that explain a natural phenomenon from a folk perspective, such as why the sun exists, why flowers and leaves sprout in the spring. Characters in these stories often have supernatural powers such as gods, supernatural forces, etc. Myths are quite popular around the world and there are English versions that parents can search for: Greek myths, Nordic myths, etc.
Legends are folk tales that have been passed down orally for generations, telling about history or explaining ancient customs and practices, often with elements of fantasy. Some English legends include: King Arthur, the Irish Giant,…
Another type of folk tale that is fictional in nature is the fairy tale. These stories usually begin with “Once upon a time in a land far away…” and end happily with the message that good will triumph over evil. Different cultures have their own stories or folk versions of fairy tales. Cinderella, Beauty & The Beast… are some of the English fairy tales that can be easily found.
Fables are stories that are about human relationships, using metaphors or personification of animals or even people to illustrate a moral or philosophical theme, a concept of life or a comment on social reality or human vices. Some English fables that parents can read to their children are The fox and the grapes, The rabbits and the turtle,…
Short story – Children’s perspective on life
We often tell each other that, to remember and understand English, just learning grammar from books is not enough. In fact, English learners need to practice a lot in real-life situations to become proficient and fully understand what this language expresses. However, what we often overlook is that short stories are also drawn from life lessons. Thanks to English stories, children will know how to apply grammar correctly.
Why short stories?
Surely many parents reading this will wonder why it is a short story and not another type of story. The reason is because short stories are very suitable for children in both content and form.
In terms of form, short stories are usually of moderate length, enough for children to keep up with the pace of the story and not get bored. The English vocabulary and structures in short stories are often quite simple and the story structure is also quite coherent and easy to understand. When learning English, we should let children approach from simple to complex levels, otherwise their learning will not be effective and will make them feel anxious and bored.
In terms of content, most short stories are quite simple, concise and easy to understand. With this genre, it is not too difficult for adults to answer children’s questions easily.
How to use short stories to improve your English
Consider short stories as models
Parents can help their children improve their English writing skills by using short stories as models. Through English short stories, children can learn how to use sentences, grammar, writing style, how to organize writing structure appropriately, etc. Parents can let their children write their own stories and then give them comments.
Reading comprehension
This is definitely a skill that will improve a lot when children read many short stories in English. They will practice with grammar and analysis to understand the content when reading stories.
Use illustrations
Children’s books often have beautiful illustrations. Children can look at them and try to guess what the story is about. What are the characters doing in the illustrations? What part of the story is shown in the pictures? The illustrations help children understand the meaning of the story.
Nowadays, there are many convenient and especially completely free ways that parents can find to help their children read English short stories effectively without books. One of them is watching animated stories. This method not only stimulates children’s interest and love, but also develops their thinking and English skills.
Conclude
With the great benefits that short stories bring, children can approach English more interestingly and easily. Hopefully after this article, parents will find a different perspective on the method of educating children, how to do it so that children are both inspired and have their flexible thinking brains activated. What do parents think about this article? Please share your opinions with us in the comments section!
