Wait… What Happened? Helping Kids Who Struggle to Tell Stories

A guide for teachers

Have you ever had a child come and tell you about their weekend, but everything is completely mixed up and hard to follow? Or maybe something happened on the playground, and when you ask them what occurred, their explanation is jumbled and doesn’t quite make sense?

These moments can be early warning signs of narrative difficulties.

Narrative difficulties occur when a child struggles to tell a story in a clear, logical, chronological way that others can understand. Children with narrative challenges may also struggle to remember and retell the key events in a story. They might focus on tiny, unrelated details while missing the main ideas, or jump around and leave out important parts altogether.

Children with weak narrative skills often experience difficulties with literacy too, especially when it comes to writing stories. You might notice that their writing feels muddled, lacks characters or settings, or is missing the structure and grammatical features you would expect for their age. For example, a child might say something like:
“The monkey went to the shop and saw his friend in his house. He woke up because his alarm went off. He buyed some um… I don’t remember… maybe some sweets?”

This kind of mixed-up storyline jumps between settings, events and time in a way that’s hard for listeners to follow and it’s a classic sign of narrative difficulty.

Why are Narrative skills so important?

Narrative skills play a huge role in a child’s learning, communication and overall success at school. When children can tell a clear, organised story, they’re better able to share experiences, explain their thinking and connect with others.

Strong narrative skills help children:

• communicate effectively with peers and build fulfilling relationships
• participate in conversations
• solve social problems
• understand and retell stories in class
• build stronger reading and writing skills.

Hence, narrative skills are an essential component of a child’s development and academic success.

What narrative difficulties look like in the classroom

Jumbled stories
A child with narrative difficulties may tell stories in a mixed-up, disorganised way.
Example: “We went to the zoo and then my grandma – no, actually my dog was sick – and then I saw a lion yesterday… or maybe last week?”

Missing key events
They may leave out the most important parts of a story or event the listener needs to understand.
Example: A child describes a birthday party but forgets to mention whose birthday it was or what actually happened.

Off-topic information
They might drift into unrelated details that interrupt the story.
Example: While explaining a playground incident, they suddenly start talking about what they had for breakfast.

Trouble sequencing
They might jump back and forth in time or tell events out of order.
Example: “She pushed me after I told the teacher… but first I was playing… and then I fell before she pushed me.”

Struggles retelling books
After hearing a story, they may not retain the main events and struggle to retell it in a meaningful way.
Example: After a whole picture book, they simply say, “It was about a dog,” without mentioning anything that happened.

Common Reasons Kids Struggle With Narrative Skills

There are many reasons a child might find storytelling difficult, and most of them have nothing to do with effort or intelligence. Understanding the “why” helps teachers support students with confidence and compassion.

Limited understanding of key story components
Some children struggle to identify essential elements of a story, such as Who?, What?, Where?, or When? This makes it harder for them to organise their ideas into a coherent narrative.

Difficulty with sequencing
Some children find it hard to understand or remember the order of events, which makes it challenging to tell a story from beginning to end.

Language delays
If a child has limited vocabulary or struggles to form sentences, they may not have the language they need to fully express what happened.

Reduced storytelling experiences
Children who haven’t had many opportunities to share stories at home, engage in pretend play, or participate in rich conversations may have less practice organising their thoughts.

Memory challenges
Even if a child understood the story in the moment, recalling the key events later can be difficult, especially under pressure.

Attention differences
Children who have difficulty focusing may miss parts of a story or become distracted by small details, making their retells feel incomplete or inconsistent.

Difficulties with perspective taking

Children who struggle to take on the perspectives of others may not think about what their listener needs to know to be able to understand their story. They may focus on details that were important to them but aren’t relevant to the listener or may assume the listener already knows the situation they’re talking about. 

Sensory and/or emotional regulation difficulties

Anyone who is upset, stressed, anxious or dysregulated in any way has difficulties expressing their ideas and thoughts effectively. This is particularly apparent in children who have emotional or sensory regulation difficulties. Therefore we can expect a child who is dysregulated to have difficulties in giving a narrative account especially if we are asking them to talk about a situation, person or event that has contributed to them feeling dysregulated. 

Classroom Strategies That Actually Work

Supporting narrative skills doesn’t have to be complicated. Here are simple, effective strategies teachers can use every day:

1. Teach Story Structure Explicitly

Many children struggle to organise their thoughts because they haven’t been taught a clear story framework. A simple structure gives them a roadmap:

• When? – When did the story happen?

• Who? – Who is in the story?

• Where? – Where did it take place?

• Problem – What challenge or conflict happened?

• Solution – How was the problem solved?

• End – How did the story finish?

Example:

“When I woke up on Saturday morning (When), I saw my cat (Who) sitting on the couch (Where). She had knocked over my cereal (Problem). I cleaned it up (Solution) and then played with her (End).”

2. Use Visual Supports

Storyboards, sequencing pictures, or comic strips help children organize events.

Example: Have students arrange pictures in the correct order and then tell the story using the visual cues. Here is an example of a basic narrative story board.

3. Model Storytelling

Demonstrate how to tell a story aloud, thinking out loud about transitions and details. Use visuals to support too.

Example: “First, I went to the park. Then I saw a dog. Finally, I played on the swings.”

Hearing clear, structured stories helps students internalise how narratives work.

4. Practice “Micro-Stories”

Start small. Ask students to:

• Tell just the beginning of a story
• Explain one problem or event
• Describe the ending only

This reduces pressure and builds confidence before tackling longer narratives.

5. Partner or Group Retelling

Have students tell stories to a partner, then switch roles.

Peer interactions allow practice in a low-stakes, social context and help students hear different storytelling styles.

6. Highlight Transition Words

Teach words like first, then, next, suddenly, finally to help kids connect events.

Activity: Students can underline transition words in a story or add them to their own retells.

7. Integrate Storytelling Across the Day

Narrative practice doesn’t have to be limited to writing or reading time.

• Morning meeting: “Tell your partner one thing that happened yesterday.”
• Science: “Explain the steps in your experiment.”
• Break time reflection: “What happened during your game?”

Daily, small opportunities help narrative skills grow naturally.

8. Choose your moment

If you need to talk to a child about something they have found upsetting, stressful or anxiety provoking wait until they have re-regulated before having the conversation. Finding a quiet, calm space where the child is relaxed and comfortable can make all the difference in getting to the bottom of what has happened. 

When to Seek Extra Support

While many children benefit from classroom strategies and practice, some may need additional support from a Speech and Language Therapist. Consider consulting one if a child:

• Struggles to retell simple stories even after repeated support
• Frequently leaves out key events or important details
• Shows difficulty understanding or following story sequences
• Has trouble expressing themselves clearly in writing and speaking
• Appears frustrated or anxious when asked to tell a story

Early support can make a big difference. SLTs can provide targeted strategies and interventions to help children strengthen their narrative skills, which in turn supports literacy, social communication and overall classroom success.

Final Thoughts

Narrative skills are more than just “storytelling.” They help children organise their thoughts, communicate with peers and succeed academically. With clear teaching frameworks, visual supports, modeling and daily practice, teachers can make storytelling accessible, fun and effective for every student.

If you notice a child struggling with storytelling or narrative skills, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at Speechwise Therapy. We’re always happy to offer support and resources to help every student succeed!

Written by Khadijah