Which elements of stories do children enhance through retelling?

When children engage in retelling stories, they actively reconstruct the narrative elements, which significantly includes the setting, characters, and plot structure. This process enhances their understanding of how stories are built and how different components relate to each other. Through retelling, children practice organizing information, sequencing events, and identifying who is involved (characters) and where the story takes place (setting). This enhances their narrative skills and helps them develop a deeper comprehension of storytelling.

In contrast, while illustrative capabilities and sound effects may be fun aspects of storytelling, they do not revolve around understanding the core elements of a story's structure. Distinguishing between genres and types mainly concerns categorizing stories rather than understanding their intricate components. Similarly, moral lessons and hidden messages are often more abstract themes that may not be the primary focus when young children retell a story, as their understanding of these concepts typically develops later in their literacy journey.