The Role of Stories in Organizing Experiences: A Developmental Perspective

Development of Time Perception in Children

The concept of time and the ability to perceive time in its entirety develop gradually, with many studies indicating that a complete internalization of time occurs by the end of elementary school. Young children, who are in the process of acquiring language and learning about social spaces, are also learning about the concept of time.

Learning about time is not an explicit process during childhood; rather, it occurs through personal experiences. The perception of time involves the ability to organize consecutive experiences and place them on a timeline. Through the events that a child experiences, they learn about the world. Children need adults to help organize the chronology of their experiences and place these experiences within a temporal framework.

The Role of Adults in Time Conceptualization

Intuitively, adults frame and better conceptualize time for children, placing their experiences in a chronological sequence. Studies show that daily conversations between parents and their children about past, present, and future events contribute to the children's understanding of time and their ability to organize experiences. Explicit and conscious references to temporal events help children develop important cognitive abilities for understanding time.

Importance of Organizing Experiences

Organizing experiences within the framework of time is a critical process for the normal development of a child. When children succeed in placing events within a temporal space, they can organize these events as part of their overall personal experiences. This allows them to develop a sense of stability and reduce chaos in their worldview. Sometimes, children need adults to explicitly organize these experiences for them, including identifying emotions and breaking down situations into clear stages.

Storytelling as an Organizational Tool

When a child shares an experience, they are essentially trying to tell a story. This is how we, as humans, organize different experiences, ideas, and messages for ourselves and others. The story is a powerful tool that allows us to arrange these experiences in a clear structure with a beginning, middle, and end. Through storytelling, we can give meaning to events and turn them into a narrative sequence with internal logic and chronological order.

Stories serve as containers for experiences and tools for organizing experiences within the framework of time. Stories allow children to understand the chronological sequence and place their experiences on a timeline. Studies indicate that stories help children develop cognitive and emotional abilities in understanding time and their personal experiences.

In this context, social stories are particularly effective tools for organizing experiences and temporal understanding, especially for children with developmental disorders. These stories provide clear and understandable narratives for everyday situations and concepts of time. They allow children to understand the connections between different events and grasp the concept of cause and effect. Social stories can be used as tools for explicit learning of social behaviors, emotional reactions, and problem-solving processes, using a clear and organized temporal structure.

When used frequently, social stories can address a variety of situations that children experience. They serve as visual and concrete tools that help children build sequences and understand their place in the world. Through these stories, children learn to organize their experiences, understand the cause and effect of their actions, and develop a clear and stable sense of self. In this way, the stories contribute to their emotional and social development and help them deal with daily challenges in a more efficient and structured manner.